{"id":774069,"date":"2025-03-18T08:34:05","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T08:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=774069"},"modified":"2025-03-18T12:50:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T12:50:05","slug":"case-study-whitburn-coastal-conservation-centre-by-mawsonkerr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/specification\/case-study-whitburn-coastal-conservation-centre-by-mawsonkerr","title":{"rendered":"Case study: Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre by MawsonKerr Architects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre is the result of a collaboration between National Trust and the SeaScapes Partnership. It is situated in the North East, next to Souter Lighthouse at Whitburn, South Tyneside.<\/span><\/p>\n

The centre acts as a gateway to the Leas coastline and provides community organisations and groups with space for conservation work and nature activities, helping to raise awareness of coastal conservation issues in the region.<\/p>\n

The centre is located on an extremely complex site: green belt; in the curtilage of a Grade II*-listed lighthouse; on top of an infilled quarry with ground gases and directly over a huge drainage pipe, part of the quarry works; ordnance hazards (the site was once a firing range); plus, for bird conservation reasons, it had to be adjacent to the bird netting area on the hill.<\/p>\n

The clients were ambitious in their brief and the building had to meet this ambition and become a hub for the community. The centre is regionally significant for the work National Trust and their partners do there and internationally significant for the work the bird-ringers do by contributing data on the local and migratory bird population to the international database of birds so conservationists around the world can access it.<\/p>\n

Dan Kerr, director, MawsonKerr Architects<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Project data<\/h2>\n

Start on site <\/b>June 2022
\nCompletion <\/b>September 2023
\nGross internal floor area <\/b>100m2<\/sup>
\nConstruction cost <\/b>Undisclosed
\nArchitect <\/b>MawsonKerr Architects
\nClient <\/b>National Trust
\nStructural engineer <\/b>JCC
\nM&E consultant <\/b>Skelly & Couch
\nQuantity surveyor<\/b> Todd Milburn
\nPrincipal designer<\/b> MawsonKerr Architects
\nApproved building inspector<\/b> South Tyneside Council
\nMain contractor<\/b> Arcas<\/span>
\nCAD software used <\/b>Revit
\nPredicted design life <\/b>60 years<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Architect\u2019s choices<\/h2>\n

The site was incredibly challenging and it was important to all involved that we used a \u2018fabric first\u2019 approach. We achieved a good thermal envelope and airtightness using CLT with external airtighness membranes and insulation, along with triple-glazed windows. No structural steel was used and the cladding is made of 100 per cent recycled plastic from construction waste.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sedum roof supports photovoltaics to help power an air-source heat pump and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system. Minimal south glazing was used to help reduce overheating and also worked with the siting of the building.
\nDan Kerr, director, MawsonKerr Architects<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Specification<\/span><\/h2>\n

The design complements the \u2018heavy\u2019 massing of the lighthouse, which is grounded to the rock, with a lightweight \u2018floating\u2019 structure emerging from the landscape with framed views of the lighthouse and large, open views of the coast.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The building almost wears the Trust\u2019s mission for the centre as a jacket: an exposed timber panel structure internally with 100 per cent recycled plastic tiles from construction waste externally, illustrating how materials can be reused and not end up polluting our coasts and seas. Planning was complex but achieved due to the exceptional circumstances of the project, the design and its use to the community. The building is constructed from cross-laminated timber panels as the structure of the wall and roof, which also give the internal finish. CLT is both low in embodied carbon and quick to construct in this harsh environment. \u00a0 <\/span>Externally the CLT is wrapped in insulation and clad in 100 per cent recycled tiles made from plastic waste from the building industry.\u00a0 <\/span>The roof is sedum to enhance biodiversity, and fitted with PVs.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The National Trust used this project as a pilot project for their sustainability matrix. This was in order to test the matrix and this project against the criteria. The findings will be used to hone the matrix for use on future National Trust projects. The project achieved an EPC \u2018A\u2019 rating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dan Kerr, director, MawsonKerr<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Selected products\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Cladding tiles
\n<\/b>Pretty Plastic
\nThree colours of tile, randomly mixed.\u00a0 <\/span>100% recycled plastic from construction waste
\nExterior cladding
\nprettyplastic.nl<\/a><\/p>\n

Cross-laminated timber
\n<\/b>Constructional Timber
\n150 to 200mm-deep cross-laminated timber panels
\nWalls and roof
\nconstructionaltimber.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Windows
\n<\/b>Idealcombi
\nFutura + triple-glazed windows
\nWindows
\nidealcombi.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Sedum roof
\n<\/b>Iko
\nIko Extensive Sedum Roof
\nRoof
\niko.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre is the result of a collaboration between National Trust and the SeaScapes Partnership. It is situated in the North East, next to Souter Lighthouse at Whitburn, South Tyneside. The centre acts as a gateway to the Leas coastline and provides community organisations and groups with space for conservation work and nature …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":774377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[721],"tags":[98110,2699,3574],"yoast_head":"\nCase study: Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre by MawsonKerr Architects<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The centre, in South Tyneside, acts as a gateway to the Leas coastline providing space for community organisations.\u00a0Photography by Graeme Peacock and\u00a0Oliver Sturdy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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