| Castle
Espie Greens Up at Sustainable Award
Castle Espie Wetland Centre has been awarded The NIEA
Sustainable Building of the Year 2009 award by Sustainable
Ireland magazine at Belfast’s
Ramada Hotel.
One of nine WWT (Wildfowl and Wetland Trust) centres in
the U.K., Castle Espie has long championed sustainability,
celebrating the tenth Green Living Fair earlier this month.
James Orr, Centre Director said: “There is no doubt
that sustainability is our future. The building is an excellent
example of ‘slow’ architecture and includes
passive solar gain, renewable technologies, low embodied
energy materials, treatment wetlands, composting toilets,
rainwater recycling and a partial green roof. This radical
approach is such that the centre can be profitable, business
focused and successful while creating a landmark for both
sustainability and biodiversity.”
Everything from the buildings to the habitats
and wetlands at the wetland centre embrace a sustainable
approach to design. The most significant habitat improvement
of its kind in Ireland, the restoration extends to saline
lagoons, limestone grassland, salt marshes, reed beds and
grassland for herbivorous wildfowl. While species improvements
include kingfisher banks, tern islands, otter dens, bat
boxes, dragonfly & damselfly pools, wader scrapes
and wader roosts.
Dublin-based Solearth Ecological Architecture was the
appointed architectural practice and Glasgiven Contracts, the
main contractor for Castle Espie’s new visitor centre.
The new development at WWT Castle Espie has been supported
by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund
and by many other generous funders, including Ulster Garden
Villages, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern
Ireland Tourist Board, Ards Borough Council, Biffaward,
The Crown Estate, Better Belfast, Low Carbon Buildings
Programme (BERR) and NIE SMART Programme.
Visitors to Castle Espie enjoy free parking and access
to the retail shop and Loughshore Café but
normal admission applies to the wetlands.
Castle Espie
is open every day from 10.30 am all year and closed on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
See what's on a Castle
Espie this autumn.
Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust at Castle
Espie.
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