An Egg for St Ouen’s Bay

Alison Horton, President Association of Jersey Architects

One of the joys of being an Architect is every job is different, so when I had a call from Charles Alluto asking me if I would be interested in re-designing a Bird Hide, I agreed without hesitation. I visited the current building with Charles and Land Manager, Jon Parkes. It can be found a short walk from the Five mile road along a meandering path through a bracken archway, nestled between reeds with earth banking at the sides and a green roof above.

The visit highlighted the current problems. A ‘green roof’ had been installed but the membrane had failed, creating major leaks between the planks. The roof was leaking in the winter and became too dry in the summer, the timber floor was beginning to fall apart and the door let in shafts of light that could disturb the birds when opened. The hide had a good view looking north across St Ouen’s Pond and also to the east, but the view has a blind spot obstructed by the corner construction. There is a flight path to the east of the hide and a pool to the south east which is difficult to view from the hide. So lots of issues….

The brief was to provide a slightly larger and more comfortable hide, with views to the south – east pool and to improve viewing opportunities with a higher viewing aspect. I also had to enhance accessibility enabling wheelchair users and young children to use the hide. The aspiration was to provide a beautiful addition to the landscape that would inspire future birdwatchers and would complement the Wetland Centre. The site is an SSI and in line with the objectives of both The National Trust for Jersey and myself, we wanted any new construction to be as sustainable as possible, using natural materials, and as little steel and concrete as possible.

I went back a couple of times and started working on concept sketches and site analysis. A priority in design terms was to create a viewing aperture, with minimal structural obstructions, which was continuous and would allow (almost a) 270 degree view, without an obscured spot in the corner.

My initial sketches all resulted in a curved plan, which provided the view the pond in front of the hide and to the pool behind. I was a bit anxious at the initial meeting thinking that I had overstretched the brief, so began by presenting two versions of a slightly larger rectangular hide.

I tentatively pulled out sketch design number three (the wildcard), which without hesitation was immediately the favourite one to be developed further. Whilst delighted that the most innovative and creative of my designs had been chosen, I drove home knowing that I was would have to design the most complicated of structures.

The plan developed intuitively into an ‘egg’. The geometry of the egg had many benefits; as well an uninterrupted views, the proposed new footprint is not that much larger than what is there now. Once the shape was determined, Alex Buxton (former ranger with the Trust and bird ringer) researched eggs produced by those birds viewed from the hide. The Marsh Harrier’s egg shape was adopted as the final form.

While it is exciting to produce an egg shaped building, it has to primarily satisfy the initial brief of a ‘Bird- Hide’. Guidance has been followed for the height of the shelf that is beneath the viewing apertures enabling a resting point for elbows, with the height of the bench replicating that of the existing hide. An aperture has been included for wheelchair users and the hide will be made fully accessible with a ramp. A corridor with entrance door and light lobby will be added to reduce glare that can startle birds.

After an initial conversation with an engineer, I constructed a series of sketch models using laser cut cardboard rings to prove and communicate the concept of the egg design to the client. If funding is secured, the ‘egg’ is to be constructed from a series of structural timber glulam rings and connecting fins fixed to a timber frame, below the floor. Geomarine are looking at a light touch foundation system possibly consisting of compacted hard core, with a footprint only slightly larger than the existing original bird hide foundation. The ‘egg’ will sit on reusable adjustable pads (Jackpads) with some concrete blocks which could be removed and reused at their end of life. The external envelope will be clad with timber shingles.

While many hides resemble a shed, I wanted to create an exciting building that offers the best possible views enabling birds to be observed and photographed, with spaces for elbows, equipment, information boards and flasks of coffee, as well as sitting beautifully in the landscape.