We love seeing our aircrete blocks used on unusual projects, so were delighted to discover that a new wildlife tower at the Kentfield Country Estate in Kent is being built using Celcon Blocks.
When completed the tower will stand at just over 5 metres tall and is designed to be a home for a range of wildlife, including owls, swallows, bats and bees, helping to promote biodiversity across the estate.
Kentfield Country Estate is a small working farm estate which regularly hosts weddings and corporate events and is located close to our Borough Green site. In fact, a chat with owner Ian Barwick revealed that was one of the reasons he chose Celcon Blocks for the project. He explained:
“We try to support as many local businesses as we can. When we run events at Kentfield all our food is produced on the farm, with a zero carbon footprint and our guests love that they can see where the food is produced. By the same token we wanted to use local products to construct our new wildlife tower. We chose aircrete blocks from H+H just down the road and the external walls will be finished with ragstone from a local quarry, in keeping with the nearby farm buildings.”
Positioned overlooking the estate’s beautiful four acre lake, the tower is cleverly designed to house as many creatures as possible. Blocks around the base provide a home for amphibians, slots in the walls give access for bats, nesting boxes will house barn owls and little owls, bees will be able to overwinter in the wall cavities, and roof overhangs create the perfect home for swifts and swallows.
Ian chose masonry to ensure the tower would stand the test of time:
“I’ve used Celcon Blocks on a number of other projects so when it came to building our wildlife tower I knew they fit the brief. I didn’t want to use timber for the tall thin structure and run the risk of warping over time, so it made sense to build with masonry. Another consideration, given the size of the tower, was that Celcon Blocks are lightweight to work with at height. Being easy to cut, aircrete was also ideal for creating the various openings for the wildlife.
“I wanted to keep the interior of the tower at a consistent temperature for hibernating bats, and for when the birds are nesting and hatching their eggs, so the inherent thermal efficiency of aircrete is a real benefit. And perhaps most importantly, I wanted to build a tower that will stand for 100 years and more, continuing to provide a home for generations of wildlife.”
This unique project highlights how Celcon Blocks can support not only sustainable construction, but also biodiversity and long-term environmental value.
Find out more about the Kentfield Country Estate here.