An extraordinary new building has emerged from the earth bank at the popular nature reserve, RSPB Conwy. The unique structure, that we're calling The LookOut, is a low-impact curved construction, built from only natural materials including straw bales, and we are very proud to say that this is the first of its kind on an RSPB reserve.
The LookOut is the latest element of the reserve’s recent Conwy Connections’ redevelopments, and has sparked a lot of interest amongst the visitors. It will offer a fantastic indoor space looking out over the lagoon. It’s big enough to hold small events and will be used for all sorts of activities as well as an exciting place to introduce the wonderful wildlife the reserve has to offer.
Unusually for construction projects, staff and volunteers are having a hands-on role in building it. So far, it has taken 7 contractors, 8 number of staff and 4 volunteers, and whopping 450 straw bales!
I caught up with Julian Hughes, Reserve’s Manager, “The timberwork has been created by Greenbuilt, but the roof, the floor insulation and the walls are being built by a team of staff and volunteers. We're a mixed crew. Some who are quite handy and have done a bit of DIY or building work before, and some of who haven't, like me! It's been hard work, fueled by tea and cake, but it's also been a lot of fun.”
The team have been guided by The LookOut designer, Barbara Jones of Straw Works:
“Building with straw-bales is a bit like building a dry stone wall, having to find a bale that just fits instead of being too tight. The team soon got the hang of it and did brilliantly well. We’re about to start on the second phase now, the mucky part! The exterior walls will be rendered with lime and the internal walls plastered with two layers of clay.
I asked Barbara, what are the benefits of building with natural materials? "The benefits of working with straw and clay are endless. They are cheaper, biodegradable and good for our health. They also look fantastic and can be moulded to create a beautiful cottage-style finish.”
The straw was sourced from The Crown Estate's Tabley estate in Cheshire last summer, and has been donated to the project alongside funding from their marine stewardship programme, for The LookOut.
Fiona Wynne, Stewardship Manager at The Crown Estate said “We are very pleased to provide funding for the LookOut. The entire reserve is built on Crown Estate land and is leased to the RSPB specifically for the purposes of conservation and environmental management. I am delighted that the straw has been sourced from a tenant farm on our portfolio and we are sure that the building’s innovative, sustainable design will be a great addition to the reserve.”
Doug Richardson, tenant farmers said, “As farmers we believe it is important to use the land to produce quality food, but it must be done in a way to protect the environment and enhance the wildlife as much as is possible. We take great personal satisfaction from seeing the different species of birds and other wildlife that reside on our farm and we hope the straw bales we have provided help make The LookOut a great success.”
Julian Hughes is urging everyone to visit and to see the fascinating process, “There's been lots of interest in the way it's been built, and everyone is looking forward to coming back to see it finished, hopefully sometime in July. We've still got a long way to go, but we can at least see that it's a building now and we urge everyone to visit us and to see it being built.”
This is how the building is looking at the moment. It has been covered with a tarpaulin to protect it from the weather. Pray for sunshine now as they're about to render the exterior with lime!
You can follow the building-work by reading RSPB Conwy's blog.
Conwy Connections is an initiative part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and is a component element of the Natural Resource Wales' Communities and Nature strategic project.
RSPB Cymru would also like to thank those whose donations support RSPB Conwy nature reserve and visitor facilities, including The Crown Estate, Cemlyn Jones Trust, Environment Wales, Tesco plc, Conwy Town Council and the RSPB Conwy Support Group.
For more information about Conwy Connections, please visit http://tinyurl.com/77d69f9. RSPB Conwy is open from 9.30am-5pm every day. For details contact the RSPB on 01492 584091 or www.rspb.org.uk/conwy