Ecologies - A Wildlife Corridor
A temporary structure that provides permanent benefits A twist on the usual wildlife corridor to enhance the area for the Science Festival and create a building by utilising and creating, rather than destroying habitats. With the use of the already existing disused pond area, habitats and biodiversity will be increased with the planting of a reed bed and construction of a bird box “corridor”. The building contains educational information within the bird boxes, as well as an area for data input collected at the BioBlitz and an observation space looking out towards habitats within and surrounding the London Plane tree without disturbing the wildlife. A corten steel structure forms the frame for the bird boxes as well as acting as a visual point to prevent birds from flying into the glazed areas. The scheme will support the BioBlitz event that forms part of the 2013 British Science Festival, and includes a woodland teaching area to the south of the pond. This uses the natural canopy of the beech tree and provides maximum interaction with the surroundings. Although the BioBlitz occurs only for 24 hours, the build up to the event is used as an education tool, with local schools encouraged to participate in the bird box scheme. Once the Bioblitz is over, what is left of the building is determined by the wildlife. What is removed lives on in the gardens of school children, and the parks of Newcastle, ensuring that the legacy of the Science Festival remains. A temporary structure that provides permanent benefits.