Sustainability Spot: Blueprint for Lodging at Legoland Windsor

A year after its launch, Legoland Windsor Resort’s Woodland Village in Englandis a model for sustainable accommodations across Legoland parks globally, according to Dare Ilori, group sustainability director at Merlin Entertainments and IAAPA EMEA Sustainability Committee member. The Legoland Woodland Village is Merlin’s first operational carbon-neutral accommodation site. The £35 million United Kingdom-based park investment embodies Merlin’s global ESG (environmental, social, and governance) strategy—to inspire people, care for the planet, and protect nature.

“We are delighted to have welcomed almost 100,000 guests to the Woodland Village since it opened. The feedback has been extremely positive,” Ilori says. “By highlighting sustainable practices in action, the Woodland Village enhances the guest experience and educates visitors about the importance of conservation and sustainability. Guests are increasingly showing support for our carbon-neutral accommodation as visitor numbers increase.”

Accommodations include 150 Lego-themed lodges (each sleeping up to five people) and budget-friendly camping barrels (each designed for four people) on the 10-acre site. At the Clubhouse Restaurant and Bar, families can dine, play with Lego toys, and enjoy entertainment. There are also outdoor play areas. An augmented reality experience invites children to become Junior Legoland Rangers and witness nature from their rooms.

Collaboration and employee support were crucial to the project’s success. “We had a brilliant team on the ground and support from external partners to help us,” Ilori says. The project team had to be flexible, incorporating technologies and sustainable elements developed after the 2017 planning application.

“Working with the Carbon Trust helped us reduce our carbon footprint at the resort and better understand and develop decarbonization strategies,” he says. Carbon Trust is a global consultancy focused on accelerating the transition to a decarbonized future. “We now have a robust carbon reduction plan with the adoption of low-carbon technologies, energy efficiency, and high-quality offsets.”

To help secure BREEAM Certification (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) and strengthen the project’s sustainable credentials, the team repurposed 10,000 tonnes of construction debris from other sites to create the base layer of the Woodland Village’s new car park. They further reduced the village’s carbon footprint by using sustainably sourced U.K. materials, including the lodges’ shingle tiles and timber cladding.

The village’s design incorporates energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy sources, natural landscaping that minimizes environmental impact, and newly planted trees. Facilities include 100% LED lighting, air-source heat pumps for cooling and heating, low global warming potential refrigerants, low-flow water dispensers and showers, and 100% electric kitchens. Electric buggies also drive down the carbon footprint.

“We are proud to operate a zero waste to landfill policy,” Ilori adds. Later this year, Merlin will install solar photovoltaic panels on a resort car park to help power the Woodland Village. “Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy does not produce greenhouse gas emissions or air pollution during operation,” he says. The solar array will also provide shade for guests parking beneath it on hot days.

“Sustainability is at the forefront of our minds,” Ilori says, as Merlin’s global attractions, including visitor accommodations, target carbon neutral operations by 2030. “We are focusing on improving four key areas—energy, waste, water, and conservation—and there are already some fantastic projects in place to support these. We have reduced our carbon emissions by 42% in the last eight years, but we have plans to go much further. Our ambitious goal is to be a net-zero carbon business.”