Birdwatching in the Chester Meadows
**DESCRIPTION**
Larsen Liverpool are hosting an international competition for an innovative design of a bird watching shelter and bird sanctuary within the natural settings of the protected Earl’s Eye Meadows on the banks of the River Dee, Chester, UK.
The meadows are rich in biodiversity and offer a fantastic opportunity for designers to challenge themselves and explore their creativity within this sustainable and vernacular based competition.
*How can humans occupy spaces that inspire harmony with the natural environment? What can we, as designers, do to accomplish this and create architecture that avoids destruction of the natural world while also benefiting our environmental impact?*
We now live in a world where architecture takes valuable resources and causes destruction of the natural environment. We are looking for a design scheme that builds a connection between humans and nature and gives back to our natural surroundings, rather than only taking from them.
Our brief asks for an **innovative and creative design** focusing on the **user experience** and **connection to the surrounding nature and wildlife** with a **minimal environmental impact**. The challenge is to create a **sustainable and a 100% natural structure** that sits peacefully within the meadows and allows both humans and birds to share the same space.
The shelter should provide a **calm, reflective space** for city dwellers to temporarily leave their hectic city lives to reconnect and interact with nature. It also asks for a sanctuary for the native and passing birds of the area. The sanctuary should be a **place for birds to take shelter and encourage breeding**, with some consideration for the various roosting and dietary needs of differing species.
The site has a number of constrains and opportunities that make this a particularly **interesting and provocative design challenge**; including beautiful scenery, proximity to the River Dee, flood risks and natural surface water for drinking. Further details will be outlined in the full brief.
The competition will be judged by a talented and multidisciplinary set of jurors, who work across different creative sectors. Winners of this competition will receive a cash prize and their entry will be exhibited on our website and across all of our social media channels. This will give the winner an opportunity to showcase their incredible work and make connections with potential employers.
Larsen Liverpool Limited are an environmentally and sustainability minded company and we are determined to make the world a better place than we found it by reducing our global impact and carbon footprint.
**One tree will be planted in a key reforestation project for each participant that signs up to one of our competitions.**
Jury
-RYAN WENHAM
Liverpool & Barcelona
University of Liverpool – Architecture
-MARC PRATS I NUÑEZ
Barcelona & Liverpool
University of Barcelona – English Studies
Leeds Beckett University – Psychology
-ISABELLA D’IPPOLITI
Barcelona & Rome
Sapienza Università di Roma – Architecture
Ux/Ui Designer
-RACHEL KNIGHT
University of Portsmouth
University of Liverpool – Architecture
Short Description
Explore your creativity and challenge your design skills with our International Design Competition for innovative ideas and sustainability focused architecture.
Organizer
Larsen Liverpool
Link to Competition
Link to Registration form
Prizes
1. WINNER:
The cash prize has now been increased to £1,000 and will be awarded for the winning design.
Photos and information about the winners’ work will be published on our website and across all of our social media platforms
Free entry into one of our next competitions.
100 trees planted in your name.
2. A further two design entries will be selected by jurors and will have their entries published on our website. They will also receive a 50% discount off the entry fee for one of our next competitions.
3. All entries will be showcased on our website within a virtual gallery!
Type of Competition
Open to the public/Minimum requirements (Open to anyone that complies with the requirements), Single stage (Winners selected immediately)
Who can Participate
Open to students, professionals, designers, architects and any other creative with interest in nature, ecology and sustainability. Groups (max 3 people) and students are welcome.
Dates and Time Frame
Registration Closes January 17, 2022
Deadline to Submit Project January 17, 2022
Winners announcement Date February 5, 2022
Languages
English, Other
Location of Competition
Chester Meadows, Chester, United Kingdom
Additional Information
Banner, Poster, Brochure or Triptic of Competition