Public WC block designed and built by Leicestershire County Council

The building is designed to showcase various sustainable building technologies, including a solar hot water system, water efficient WCs and rainwater harvesting. Power is provided by photovoltaic panels charging into deep-cycle batteries.

In arriving at the final design, care was taken to ensure that the building had impeccable green credentials-so impeccable, it seems, that it is unique within the UK and possibly further afield. The concept of sustainable development was taken to its wid- est sense. The structural timber is from Scandinavian accredited, sustainable forest sources, and other timber products are by- products of the UK and Canadian timber industry, the building also provides much of its own energy and water requirements, and water and energy usage is reduced to the absolute minimum.