For architects, this is already the second attempt: in 2001 they won a competition for a similar task, but, after long twists and turns, their project was never implemented (the decision on this was made at the end of 2007). In the summer of 2008, a new competition started, in which Denton Corker Marshall took part more to “save face” than to win, but again they turned out to be the best.
The current version is based on three prerequisites: accessibility for everyone, harmony with the environment and a certain "temporary" appearance. It was important to place the building "in the background" in comparison with the famous megalithic monument. If a tourist, returning home after a trip to Stonehenge, does not remember what the visitor center looks like, the architects will consider their task completed.
The building will be a perforated canopy supported by many thin pillars. There will be two blocks under it: a glass one with a cafe and a shop and one paneled with local chestnut wood with exhibition halls.
Concurrently with the project of the center, a plan to protect Stonehenge from road traffic was submitted to the Wiltshire County authorities for consideration. According to representatives of the English Heritage organization, it is necessary to close the section of the A344 highway, passing directly next to the monument, and plant it with sod. Thanks to this, it will also be possible to remove the existing parking lot and demolish buildings that serve as a "visitor center" at the moment: they are also very close to the unique building. Instead, the parking lot is supposed to be moved at a distance of 2.41 km from Stonehenge, to the future visitor center.
