Architect’s new high rise apartments – for owls
Architect Kit Smithson specialises in designing sustainable homes for clients across the country, from Devon to Suffolk eco homes, with a focus on the best materials to use in order to protect the environment, and with an emphasis on high insulation and low energy consumption.
He is currently working on an Passivhaus home in Suffolk and a barn conversion for an important pinetum site in Devon.
After Bristol University he worked for large design practices in London before setting up his own company, Natural Building Studio.
Now he has turned his talents to helping owls, bats and other wildlife by designing a wooden Wildlife Tower, a high rise des res that can be installed on any nature reserve, or in your garden if you desire.
The penthouse suite was available for kestrels, but his prototype tower, on the Wildlands site at Crettingham, Suffolk has seen a barn owl claim the space.
“He moved straight in,” he said, “And we have a little owl too.”
Within the four storeys there are bird boxes and roosting spaces for a variety of birds and bats too.
Barn owls are at risk partly due to the changing face of our countryside. They like to nest high up in farm barns but many have been lost, others have been converted in homes for people.
The drought last year had a bad impact on their breeding season.
They are also hit by cars when flying low, hunting prey.
He explained: “I have been working with the Barn Owl Trust to provide new resources. We are going to change a few details, as we are learning as we go along. We will be monitoring it to see what works best.”
His tower is made up of two-metre square boxes, which can be fabricated off site, and then assembled by a fork lift and mounted on screw piles in the ground.
They are made from sustainable British Douglas fir with charred larch cladding, without any bricks or blockwork.
Kit explained there were a variety of access holes and nesting boxes at different levels, for birds from robins and swallows to house martins and blue tits. There were also roosting areas for bats.
It had space for eaves nesting birds and ledges for fledglings to launch.
“These could be suitable for many sites, including reserves run by charities, where there aren’t suitable tall trees for barn owl nest boxes.”
Each tower could potentially house 26 bird families or up to 100 individuals and insects including butterflies.
Wildlands is a holiday centre with a difference on the former Cretingham golf course site. Owners Matt and Claire Thacker are offering holidays in a natural setting, with no sports or live entertainment. Instead they are offering quiet holidays wthin the beautiful Suffolk countryside.
Claire explained they were re-wilding the site, with tree planting and an orchard. “It is great to see the wildlife coming back.”
It was once a small working farm and the plan is to re-introduce some farm animals including rare breed pigs, sheep and cattle, as well as planting fruit and vegetable crops.
Perhaps one day Holywells Park will have one of these amazing towers!
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