Contractor Henry Brothers Construction has been selected to deliver a new £25 million Global Conservation Centre at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire.

The state-of-the-art facility will make a game-changing contribution to the fight against global extinction for endangered wildlife.

Attracting an £18m investment from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund – marking the biggest single Government grant ever given to a UK zoo – the Global Conservation Centre will be dedicated to advancing global conservation solutions.

It is being developed by UK conservation charity Twycross Zoo, in partnership with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, and a number of the UK’s leading universities.

It will not only act as a hub for the zoo’s expanding global conservation work, cutting-edge scientific research, and education programmes, but also, a community space to inspire, train and facilitate the next generation of conservation leaders under one roof.

Ian Taylor, Managing Director of Henry Brothers Construction, said:

“The Global Conservation Centre at Twycross Zoo is a truly pioneering and innovative scheme which will have global implications for wildlife, biodiversity and conservation.

“Henry Brothers is thrilled to have been appointed on this project and is looking forward to working with our partners to deliver such a world-class development.

“As a company, we have wide experience of working at a huge range of different sites, but this is the first time that Henry Brothers Construction has had great apes, tigers and other exotic animals as our neighbours.

“It really is a memorable scheme that the whole team is excited to be involved in.”

Key features of the Global Conservation Centre to be delivered by Henry Brothers and its construction partners include:

• A two-storey building featuring a 200-seat lecture theatre overlooking a new world-class Bornean orangutan habitat, plus research and teaching spaces in three indoor classrooms with adjacent wildlife gardens, and a cutting-edge science lab for both current and future conservation leaders to learn and work.
• A two-storey residential facility featuring accommodation for visiting experts and students, with 24 bedrooms to welcome professionals and students from around the world.
• A new world-class Bornean orangutan habitat and Indonesian themed area of the zoo.

The centre will also create key academic partnerships, being home to a number of research and education partnerships between Twycross Zoo and eight of the country’s leading universities, to facilitate an expanded programme of applied conservation higher education opportunities.

Henry Brothers’ partners delivering the Global Conservation Centre include HLM Architects, civil and structural engineer Hexa, and Couch, Perry, Wilkes for mechanical and electrical engineering.

Alongside boosting the charity’s conservation impact, the Global Conservation Centre promises to have a tangible benefit to the surrounding local area.

The successful Government bid, backed by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and Dr Luke Evans (MP for Hinckley and Bosworth) will help to sustain Twycross Zoo as an important education and tourism asset in the area, generating 90 gross direct jobs and £3.9m GVA per annum.

Construction is about to get under way later in June 2025, with the Global Conservation Centre campus planned to open in late 2026.

Dr Rebecca Biddle, Chief Conservation Officer at Twycross Zoo and Vice Chair of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria), said:

“The unrelenting pressure that we face from the dual climate and biodiversity loss crises, pose a serious threat to the survival of our planet.

“Our conservation efforts need to be bigger, bolder and more united. Zoos are being called on to do more in this mission, and the Global Conservation Centre is our answer to that call.

“Uniquely designed and positioned to allow international conservationists to work in connection with the natural world, we believe that being alongside the species we are working to save will offer unrivalled opportunities to study, learn and develop real-world solutions for endangered wildlife.

“We are truly grateful to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and our local MP, Dr Luke Evans, for their continued backing of this project, supporting us for the last few years to secure this staggering £18m of Government funding for our charity.

“Twycross Zoo has been a pioneering organisation since it opened its gates in 1963, but we know that we cannot solve the biodiversity crisis by ourselves.

“The Global Conservation Centre will facilitate collaboration to accelerate innovation, multidisciplinary research and applied conservation action for the species who need it most.”

Henry Brothers Construction, which has an office in Beeston, Nottingham, is part of The Henry Group, a Northern Ireland-based business which comprises a number of manufacturing and construction sector companies, ranging from external construction through to interiors fit-out. In partnership with clients, it has a proven track record in education, defence, accommodation, commercial, industrial, transport and healthcare sectors.

For more information, visit henrybrothers.co.uk