BE1341 VIRTUAL PROJECT 001 Document A Feasibility & Site Report
BOULMER LIFEBOAT STATION PROPOSED EDUCATION CENTRE
ANDREW J TILLY
07024074
BE1341 VIRTUAL PROJECT 001
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Contents. Project Brief…………………………………………………………………...3 Location & History……………………………………………………………4 Site Dimensions, Boundaries and Access & restrictions……………………..7 Sun path, North point and Prevailing Weather conditions…………………..10 Surrounding Amenities, Transport links…………………………………….13 Demographics……………………………………………………………….13 Surrounding Area Profile……………………………………………………15 Ecology and Wildlife………………………………………………………..15 References…………………………………………………………………..16
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Project Brief. The design brief is simple; as a part of the design team you are required to redevelop the current Lifeboat Station at Boulmer into something more useful to its surroundings. The building will be used by School Children, University Students and Adults alike and needs to contain the following minimum accommodation schedule: Entrance Lobby (5sqm) Educational Space (70sqm) Children’s WC’s (no specifications given) Small teaching space/meeting room/space(s) (20sqm) Staff room (15sqm) Staff kitchen (10sqm) Staff WC’s (no specifications given) Kit drying space (35sqm) Kit storage space (65sqm) Parking facilities for at least 5 vehicles also has to be provided The site cannot be demolished but there is nothing to say that it cannot be encapsulated or adapted to suit.
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Site Location & History. Boulmer (pronounced 'Boomer') is located at 55.419971 Latitude and -1.582267 Longitude and is a very small Fishing Village, set right on the Northumberland coast approximately 6 miles East of the Market Town of Alnwick and It is 3 miles up the coast from Alnmouth and it comes in stark contrast to Alnmouth's glorious beaches and amenities. Boulmer consists of a long stretch of houses and cottages and most of which have unobstructed sea views.
The Village is one of Northumberland's last remaining Fishing Villages and little has changed here in the last 100 years as can be seen below.
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This Lifeboat Station was founded on the 19th August 1825 making it one of the earliest lifeboat stations in the country but in 1967 it was decided that it along with two other smaller stations that it was no longer viable and the RNLI withdrew its service prompting the local community to buy their own lifeboat and continue the lifesaving tradition ever since purely on a voluntary basis.
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Boulmer is more famously known for its Air force base RAF Boulmer and their Sea King Helicopters which until recently (1st October 2015) were regularly seen flying over the County providing vital search and rescue for a large part of the North-East.
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Site Dimensions, Boundaries and Access & Restrictions According to Freemaptools.com the current Lifeboat Station foot print stands on approximately 229.930m2 and it has scope to be extended both to the rear and side of the site and occupies a land mass of approximately 922.938m2. The building itself consists of 4 smaller buildings in one with the main building housing the Lifeboat. This building stands 7.7m tall by 13.2m long by 6.2m wide. To the Left side building stands 5.7m tall, 9m long and 4m wide. The right side building stands 3.3m tall, 6.1m long and 3.09m wide. The final part is at the rear and this stands 4.9m high, 12.4m long and 4.5m wide there are also a couple of small lean-to units at this end. All measurements confirmed by my recent site visit. KeyMain Building Flare Store Kit Store Bar Lean- To
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Restrictions The only restrictions that are of note are the minimal site parking and a couple of narrow roads with high verges. These verges are regularly maintained by the local council to keep over growth to a minimum. On site storage may also be a problem due to the size of the site itself.
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Sun path, North point & Prevailing Weather conditions. The weather conditions at the site can vary between winter and summer as shown in the charts below. First there is the Sun path for Winter (Feb 9 th) showing just over nine hours of Sunlight. Winter sun path
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Next we see the Sun path for summer (July) with seventeen hours of sunlight. The Summer Sun path.
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The wind at Boulmer can also be strong dependent on the time of year, below is a wind rose for the month of April 2016.
The temperature variations can also be a factor.
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Surrounding Amenities, Transport links and Accessibility. The Village can be accessed via road from the Village of Long Houghton or from the South via the Village of Lesbury with parking right on the sea front or in the Fishing Boat Inn car park. A limited bus service run by Arriva also runs through the Village. The nearest Rail access to Boulmer is approximately 4 miles away in the town of Alnmouth which is the East Coast Line terminal between London and Edinburgh.
Demographics. In order to understand the brief more clearly, it is important to understand what type of people live in Boulmer (NE66 3BS). What kind of buildings are around it and what they are used for? Below are some charts that will help us understand.
Housing Type & Quantity.
Detached Terraced
66
Semi-Detached
49
Flat (converted)
Flat (purpose built) 3
Carravan/Park/Temporary
63 4
Residence in Commercial Building
2
4
This chart shows the types of housing and quantities within the village which indicates that there is a majority of detached buildings closely followed by semidetached and then terraced houses.
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The next chart shows the occupancy statuses of the housing which shows a high number of two person families closely followed by one person, three people and four person families in Boulmer.
People in Household. 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 One person
Two people Three People Four people
Five people
Six people
Seven plus
People in Household.
So it would seem that of the 156-person population of Boulmer there is a majority of 106+ people that are in a familial situation. Simply put there are more families in Boulmer than that of single people which is good news as this helps to decide on the uses for the proposed new development. There are a high number of what I call dayers! These are people who pass through sightseeing or walking or cycling (myself being one of the latter) and it would be advantageous to have somewhere other than the local pub to stop.
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Surrounding Area Profile. There are many housing styles in Boulmer including Bungalows, Houses and Cottages. Many are either made of stone or as is more popular clad in stone. Some buildings even have wood cladding. Roofs are a mix of Slate or Tile with some smaller roofs covered in Felt.
Ecology and Wildlife Boulmer is a sightseers dream as it is situated in one of the country’s most beautiful regions of Northumberland. With over 85 Sights and Landmarks to visit including Alnwick Castle, Hadrian’s Wall and Lindisfarne Castle to name but a few. Twitcher’s from all around the country gather to see birds such as Shore larks, Shrikes, Willow Tits, Golden Plover, Snipe, Buzzard, Kestrel and Fieldfare and more. Boulmer is at the heart of it all.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY. () Alnwick Castle, Available at: https://www.alnwickcastle.com/ (Accessed: 09/02/2017). () Boulmer Sun Path, Available at: http://www.suncalc.org/#/55.4222,1.5821,17/2017.02.09/10:11/1 (Accessed: 09/02/2017). () Boulmer Wildlife, Available at: http://boulmerbirder.blogspot.co.uk/ (Accessed: 09/02/2017). () GPS Coordinates, Available at: http://www.gps-coordinates.net/ (Accessed: 09/02/2017). () Hadrian’s Wall, Available at: http://hadrianswallcountry.co.uk/ (Accessed: 09/02/2017). () Lindisfarne Castle, Available at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lindisfarnecastle (Accessed: 09/02/2017). () Map Measurements, Available at: https://www.freemaptools.com/areacalculator.htm (Accessed: 08/02/2017). () Wind Rose Data, Available at: http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/sites/windrose.phtml?network=GB__ASOS&stati on=EGQM (Accessed: 09/02/2017). (2016) Boulmer demographics charts, Available at: https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/ne663bs (Accessed: 14/10/2016). AA Street Map, Available at: http://www.theaa.com/maps/index.jsp?lat=55.422213&lon=1.582111&z=13 (Accessed: 18/09/2016). Alnmouth, Available at: http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/areaguides/alnmouth (Accessed: 17/09/2016).
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Alnwick, Available at: http://www.visitalnwick.org.uk/ (Accessed: 17/09/2016). BikELove Scotland () Boulmer Lifeboat Station, Boulmer, Northumberland., Available at: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/raXhCvd77dE/U6KUfYMWjlI/AAAAAAAAPaE/ARsXlRap7IU/s1600/(20140616)+ -+Northumberland+-+023.JPG (Accessed: 17/09/2016). Boulmer Guide, Available at: http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/areaguides/boulmer (Accessed: 17/09/2016). Boulmer Lifeboat Station, Available at: http://www.boulmerlifeboat.co.uk/ (Accessed: 17/09/2016). Lesbury Village, Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/destination?dest_mid=/m/0gkwd3&sa=X&ved=0ahU KEwj3soi05ZbPAhUHJsAKHYz7CEIQri4IhAEwDg(Accessed: 17/09/2016). Longhoughton village, Available at:https://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/longhoughton.htm (Accessed: 17/09/2016) Map of Boulmer via Google Earth., Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/earth/(Accessed: 18/09/2016). Northumberland County, Available at: http://www.visitnorthumberland.com/(Accessed: 17/09/2016). RAF Boulmer, Available at: http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafboulmer/ (Accessed: 17/09/2016). Russell, A () Sea Kings depart RAF Boulmer, Available at: http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/sea-kings-depart-raf-boulmer01102015 (Accessed: 14/10/2016). Sea King Helicopters, Available at: http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/seaking.cfm(Accessed: 17/09/2016).
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Street Map of Boulmer, Available at: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=426466&y=614022&z=120&sv=boulm er&st=3&tl=Map+of+Boulmer,+Northumberland+[Town]&searchp=ids.srf&ma pp=map.srf (Accessed: 18/09/2016).