BOULMER LIFE BOAT STATION
Part A
Location:
Northumberland:
Weather Conditions: Wind:
Located to the East of Alnwick. Boulmer Lifeboat station lies directly opposite the North sea coast
Weather in Boulmer has a major impact not just on the locals but also on buildings condition. As a result A closer look at sun, wind, rain and air quality will have to be looked at into detail, as all will impact the life of the building. Located on the coast it is without a doubt that wind speeds have major role to play in the design of current and future buildings located in Boulmer. The windiest months in the Northumberland region as stated by the RAF are said to be January, May &
1825 is the year when Boulmer Lifeboat station first started operating as the rescue service. it was presented and originally funded by the Duke of Northumberland between 1825-1867.
N
Established in 1967 after RNLI had withdrawn it’s occupancy of the site, as a result the local community decided to buy their own boat. It is now oper- Air quality: ated by the locals and volunteers who are working Located on the coast, the salty air produced by the coast will impact the building material and the hard to keep the lifeboat station alive. life span of the material used. This is the result of With Boulmer renowned for being a fishing village, chemical reaction that occurs when the salty air the lifeboat station now serves as a community hot- comes in to contact with an oxidising material. This effect can be identified in the buildings surroundspot and requires the locals to look after it and ing the lifeboat by the visible corrosion in the mororganise activities. tar as well as the cracking of the stone facade.
December, with speeds reaching over 30 Knots, whereas June is the calmest month with wind speeds at 18 Knots.
Throughout the years not much change has occurred to Boulmer from the construction of the lifeboat (very little change to the building)
The highest recorded temperature in Boulmer is 28.2 degrees Celsius, which was recorded in 1990, and the coldest recorded is -12.3 degrees Till this day there is only one route running into the in 1982. The average temperatures between Janvillage (as shown in the map) in addition to only 1 Feb is 6 degrees and 18 degrees between Jul-Aug. bus running in to the village using this route. Compared to the rest of the UK, Northumberland could be described as dry, cool and sunny (RAF). Snow is also relatively light in comparison to the rest of the UK. January and February are the snowiest months even though Northumberland only Constraints: sees 33 days of snow in a year. As well as the man made constraints (transport, roads and the stream) the natural constraints that will have to be removed are the vegetation unpath: surrounding the lifeboat as well as any trees The sun path is shown in the above map. As you that could impact ground conditions. The clutter can see the sun is prominent in the South, yet the surrounding the land will either be recycled or site is relatively inaccessible in this direction. dumped.
S
The site accessibility was initally designed so the lifeboat can get easy access to the sea and not land. As a result the main enterance is on the North Face, allowing for parking either off site in the allocated parking spaces dotted around or the East face. In the development parking for five vechiles are required. Therefore allocated land will have to accomidate this.
In order to get the best out of the sun whether that be for lighting, electricity or even heat, it will have to be taken in to careful consideration at the design stage of the project. The following Revit sun path gives a clearer identification of the sun path throughout the day. A SketchUp topographical offset was imported into SketchUp in order to identify the site layout.
N
Existing Building
and
Site Boundaries Servicing:
The site boundaries have been taken from an OS map and imported into AutoCAD in order to get the dimension of the site. The site is east facing with 2 gates that were used for the lifeboats. The south face is tight with limited access as well as being close to the neighbouring property. If the south face was to be demolished consideration to the neighbouring properties will have to be accommodated for. Whereas the North face has an easy access and greater free space to build on. However the North face is also surrounded by a stream and telephone lines that may have to be cut off during construction work.
The only source of power is by an electrical off source grid which runs across the lifeboat from North to south, as well as the availability of water pipes. It appeared that some of the locals did have gas tankers on site, however this would result in additional costs as well as additional services, and with transport links being tight it will be down to the design and the use of the building to determine whether it is worth installing gas. The site offers potential use of green energy from solar, wind to even tidal power.
Surrounding Building Materirals: Upon my visit to the Boulmer, I was able to walk around the village and explore the area. It appeared that even though the materials used in the construction of the cottages, pub and farm houses were of similar materials (stone), there appeared to be a number of extensions and developments to plots of land. The cottages around the village underwent developments to the facades due to the weather damage that they had suffered as well as the renovated church. Yet one thing that was kept intact is the feel around the village.
Noise:
It was only till 2015 that the last RAF Search & Rescue helicopter last set off from the village. Had the helicopter still been action in 2016 it would have resulted in acoustic consideration, as the noise transmitted from such powerful aircrafts could cause potential issues to the end users of the new boat house.
RAF S
R
earch & escue: October 2015 saw the end of 37 years of service for the iconic yellow ‘sea kings’ of A flight 202 squadron. It has played an integral role as well as the lifeboat station in portraying the landscape of Boulmer .
Surrounding Buildings: Overall the buildings in Boulmer are all of similar height, this mainly is down to the height restrictions and the geographical location. The construction materials are also identical with 1 or 2 varying. The main material used in the construction of the cottages are stone and line and with slate roof tiles. Some of the “modern” cottages are harling rendered. The majority of the rooms are of similar forms (trussed roofs)
Transport Links: With only one route into Boulmer transport is another constraint that will have to be taken into account. The nearest town to Boulmer is Alnwick, located 6 miles to the west, Alnmouth to the west and Craster to the North. The nearest town to Boulmer is Newcastle upon Tyne (identified in the map) which is approximately 40 miles away. Being located 2 miles from the A1, this means access to Boulmer can be relatively quick and easy. However with only one bus route into Boulmer is (x18), this can cause trouble to tourists trying to reach the village. At one point there were two buses that run into the village. Whereas large vehicles (coaches, lorries etc) may have trouble getting access to the village due to the low bridge, which would result in the driver having to drive through Longhoughton. Passengers who may opt to take the train station will find the nearest station located in Alnmouth.
Demographics
Age:
The population of Boulmer as a whole, is older than the national average. The population of Boulmer is also older than the average, making Boulmer a older persons location. This statistic will be vital in determining what the lifeboat station could be used for. Since there are more older residents it may best to design a building that would be functional for an ageing population, or facilities that could be used by the elderly
Health:
The respondents of the 2011 Census were asked to rate their health. These are the results for Boulmer. The percentage of residents in Boulmer rating their health as ‘very good’ is less than the national average. Also the percentage of residents in Boulmer rating their health as ‘very bad’ is more than the national average, suggesting that the health of the residents of Boulmer is generally worse than in the average person in England
Education:
With the brief of the client requiring the development plan for the lifeboat to be focused around education, understanding the qualifications that the residents hold could help determine whether there is really a need for an educational project. These statistics are for the highest level education obtained by the residents of Boulmer and are from the UK Census of 2011. Boulmer has a high level of residents with either no qualifications or qualifications equal to 1 or more GCSE at grade D or below, than the national average.
Restaraunts & Pubs:
The only place in Boulmer where you can get food is The Fishing Boat Inn. It has established itself not only amongst the local residents but also amongst visitors. After speaking to some locals it was clear that the area is starting to attract some tourists, whether that is from the UK or internationally. The nearest shop is found in a neighbouring village of Longhoughton, as well as Alnmouth & Alnwick. Self-catering cottages are dotted around Boulmer as well as B&B’s
From Fishing to Bird Watching: An excellent view of the bay can be enjoyed from the rear of the Fishing Boat Inn, has had a few rarities over the years (hoopoe amongst others), but is best for waders on the incoming tide. Dunlin, Knot (above) and Bar-tailed godwit can usually be seen, with redshank, ringed plover, grey plover and other shorebirds. The fields below Boulmer helicopter base sometimes flood and can hold a large gull roost.
C
A B
Existing Floor Plan & Location:
The site is considered to be relatively flat. As well as completing the surveying on site, I was able to produce topography from sketch-up by importing the geo location then using the toggle terrain. Sun and wind directions are allocated on separate diagrams to give a clear indication and implications that will have to be considered when coming up with a design. The floor plan provided was created in Revit as well as the original 3D model which was produced on SketchUp. A clearer floor plan, elevations & 3D model will be provided separately.
References: Here, R.D. (2015) News by date. Available at: http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/sea-kings-depart-rafboulmer-01102015 (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Boulmer guide - your Northumberland guide (no date) Available at: http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/ area-guides/boulmer (Accessed: 14 April 2016). (No Date) Available at: http://www.birdersmarket.com/acatalog/Boulmer.htm (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Here, R.D. (2013) Local weather. Available at: http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafboulmer/newsweather/localweather. cfm (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Bradley (2013) BE1341 Boulmer Lifeboat station. Available at: https://be1341bradley12010294.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/img_1126.jpg (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Maps, G. (no date) Northumbria university Newcastle, city campus to Boulmer lifeboat. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Northumbria+University+Newcastle,+City+Campus,+Newcastle+City+Campus,+2+Ellison+Place,+Newcastle+upon+Tyne+NE1+8ST,+United+Kingdom/Boulmer+Lifeboat,+Beach+View,+Boulmer,+Alnwick+NE66+3BN,+United+Kingdom/@55.2924289,-1.9822865,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m16!4m15!1m5!1m1!1s0x487e70e112c5e9f7:0x79a7c60c923dce07!2m2!1d-1.607595!2d54.9768 904!1m5!1m1!1s0x487e030c25dbdf8f:0xd1cfc3d7c9d06f01!2m2!1d-1.582267!2d55.419971!2m1!5e0!3e3 (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Maps, G. (no date) Boulmer lifeboat station noise considerations. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/ search?q=boulmer+lifeboat+station+noise+considerations&biw=1920&bih=964&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinpomdmIzMAhUEOBoKHbzwAdMQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=l4NffVMnk_4JJM%3A (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Lipton, D. (2014) Feasibility report. Available at: https://issuu.com/dan_lipton/docs/final_feasibility_report (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Written and Visitor, A. (2011) Boulmer, Northumberland. Available at: http://www.ilivehere.co.uk/statistics-boulmer-northumberland-4613.html (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Authors own photographs (2015) Boulmer volunteer rescue service (2016) Available at: http://www.boulmerlifeboat.co.uk/ (Accessed: 14 April 2016). Digimap home page (no date) Available at: http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/roam/os (Accessed: 14 April 2016).