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Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust required a new enclosure for a wading birds exhibit, one that would enable the public to get close to birds they may otherwise never see, including Redshanks and Avocets. It is hoped that this experience will ultimately encourage greater use of the Trust’s hides to see wading species in the wild. To provide as natural an environment as possible the enclosure uses tough 25x25mm knotted polyethelene, a surprisingly unobtrusive material that is not visually dominating, for the birds or for the members of the public who can enter the structure. The enclosure was also designed to have as low an environmental impact as possible, in both it’s material specification and construction processes. This was achieved using fully engineered timber posts to support the netting and by utilising construction techniques that required no concrete to be used for the foundations, making huge environmental savings.
We worked closely with the Trust to supply this enclosure in kit form, allowing them to use their own machinery and expertise to install the netting with minimal supervision from ourselves. This approach achieved savings of at least 50% for the Trust. The netting is designed to be easily raised and lowered from within the enclosure by using a simple system of ropes and pulleys, allowing easy access for maintenance and cost savings for the entire future of the structure.
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