Futuristic bird centre to land in Teeside

Members of the public will soon get closer to nature then they ever imagined thanks to a new discovery centre being built in north England.

The Wild Bird Discovery Centre at Saltholme, Teeside fuses 21st Century architecture to both modern and traditional materials and sustainable construction principles.

The lakeside centre was designed by Chartered and Landscape architects Jane Darbyshire and David Kendall Ltd (JDDK) to meet BREEAM “excellent” standards. The futuristic structure which lifts out of the lakeside landscape through a feather-like roof structure has an internal rammed earth wall to control internal humidity and temperature and will boast a two-storey viewing tower.

It will feature zinc-clad roof panels, which provide solar shading and use aircraft construction techniques to represent the very cutting edge of building materials whilst an internal rammed earth wall will control both internal humidity and temperature.

Architect Alison Thornton-Sykes of JDDK was in charge of the design. “For two years now, the design team has worked hard to understand the vision of the partners and to turn that into reality,” she said. “Our design is for an elegant, accessible building using cutting-edge environmental technology. It will offer so much to the visitors to Saltholme and to the local community.”

To meet BREEAM criteria, the structure has been designed to encourage the stack effect in which cool air is drawn in from the outside and up through the central atrium of the building, providing natural ventilation and removing the need for mechanical aids. In addition, rain water is recycled and used as ‘grey’ water systems for toilet flushing.

Work on the £4 million centre, which is part of a £7 million development of Saltholme nature reserve, is being undertaken by North East based contractor, Lumsden and Carroll and is due to be completed in early 2008.

Steve Conn of Lumsden and Carroll was delighted to be working on the project. “Over recent years we have developed a particular specialism in constructing innovative, environmentally-friendly, bespoke buildings. By their very nature these buildings often have great meaning to the local community. So for us, winning the Saltholme contract is very special.”

The RSPB is working together with the Teesside Environmental Trust (TET) to develop Saltholme in one of the biggest construction projects ever undertaken in the history of the RSPB.

On completion, the previously derelict brownfield site will be transformed into the RSPB’s largest visitor, education and community centre.