Grimshaw has completed a community and education hub at Edmonton EcoPark in North London.

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Hufton + Crow

EcoPark House, a two-storey visitors and education centre designed by Grimshaw, has opened at Edmonton EcoPark in Enfield as part of the North London Heat and Power Project for the North London Waste Authority.

Located on the southeast edge of the 16-hectare site alongside the Lee Valley River Corridor, the 1,200-square-metre pavilion-style building provides community and education facilities, together with a permanent base for the Edmonton Sea Cadets. The project is the third element of the EcoPark redevelopment to be completed, following the Re-use and Recycling Centre and the Recycling and Fuel Preparation Facility.

Grimshaw’s design takes inspiration from traditional boathouses, reflecting the canalside setting and maritime use. Sea Cadet training spaces and boat storage are located on the ground floor, with direct access to the River Lee Navigation via a dock slipway, while a timber dock with mooring points sits between the building and the water, further solidifying the project’s connection to the surrounding waterways.

The upper floor has been set back from the base to accommodate flexible public spaces for exhibitions, events, and education programmes on recycling, waste reduction, and the circular economy. Full-height glazing, meanwhile, has been employed in the entrance, reception areas, as well as on first storey public space, providing views across the river corridor.

Externally, the base of the building is clad in robust precast concrete panels designed to resist wear from boating activities, while the upper level is expressed as a lighter timber pavilion. Kebony timber cladding, sliding solar screens, and glazed elevations will weather over time to create a muted patina across decking, balustrades and roof overhangs.

Passive environmental measures have been installed as well, including mixed-mode ventilation, solar shading, and a green roof – with no services being house inside the roof structure. The building also operates entirely off-grid using photovoltaic panels and ground-source heat pumps, supported by high levels of insulation and natural ventilation.

The wider redevelopment of Edmonton EcoPark is the largest public sector investment in waste facilities in London for a generation. When complete, the Energy Recovery Facility now under construction will process up to 700,000 tonnes of residual waste per year, replacing an outdated 1970s plant.

“EcoPark House symbolises a new chapter in how we view waste infrastructure – not as something hidden from the public, but as a space for learning, interaction, and environmental leadership, critical to the reshaping of how we understand our need to manage waste,” said Kirsten Lees, Partner, Grimshaw

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