Challenge: to design a vernacular bird watching shelter and bird sanctuary in the unique setting of the Chester Meadows.

How can humans occupy spaces that inspire harmony with the natural environment? What can we, as designers, do to accomplish this and create architecture that avoids destruction of the natural world while also benefitting our environmental impact?

We now live in a world where architecture takes valuable resources and causes destruction of the natural environment. We are looking for a design scheme that builds a connection between humans and nature and gives back to our natural surroundings, rather than only taking from them.

Our brief asks for an innovative and creative design focusing on the user experience and connection to the surrounding nature and wildlife with a minimal environmental impact. The challenge is to create a sustainable and a 100% natural structure that sits peacefully within the meadows and allows both humans and birds to share the same space.

The shelter should provide a calm, reflective space for city dwellers to temporarily leave their hectic city lives to reconnect and interact with nature. It also asks for a sanctuary for the native and passing birds of the area. The sanctuary should be a place for birds to take shelter and encourage breeding, with some consideration for the various roosting and dietary needs of differing species.

The site has a number of constrains and opportunities that make this a particularly interesting and provocative design challenge; including beautiful scenery, proximity to the River Dee, flood risks and natural surface water for drinking. Further details will be outlined in the full brief.

The competition will be judged by a talented and multidisciplinary set of jurors, who work across different creative sectors. Winners of this competition will receive a cash prize and their entry will be exhibited on our website and across all of our social media channels. This will give the winner an opportunity to showcase their incredible work and make connections with potential employers.

Larsen Liverpool Limited are an environmentally and sustainability minded company and we are determined to make the world a better place than we found it by reducing our global impact and carbon footprint.

One tree will be planted in a key reforestation project for each participant that signs up to one of our competitions.