22nd June 1999
Two members of staff of Carmarthenshire County Council's Operational Services Department have received prestigious Rural Wales Awards for designing the visitor's centre at Llyn Llech Owain Nature Reserve, situated by Gorslas. The visitor centre is a great feature within the nature reserve which blends in to the surrounding countryside and enhances the visitor's experience by providing the opportunity to enjoy the panoramic views of the lake and surrounding hillside.
The Camarthenshire Branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales wished to commend Mark Davies, Carmarthenshire Council's Business and Property Manager and Larry Jeffries for their innovative work in the design of the nature reserve centre.
Rural Wales Awards are given by CPRW in recognition of good environmental practice, designs which take the landscape into consideration, the restoration of important landscape features or the promotion of better environmental awareness and understanding and are sponsored by the Post Office for Wales and the Marches.
Carmarthenshire County Council acquired the reserve from the Water Board in 1990 and a master plan was produced to develop the area into a Country Park for the enjoyment of the local community and visitors. Part of the Carmarthehsire Council's vision was to build a well suited visitor centre on site. The designers decided on the current location as it provided a focal point for the lake, the forest and the hills beyond. The tower design of the Centre was influenced by the Arthurian legend that is linked to the lake that Owain once removed a stone to drink from a natural spring, forgetting to replace the stone, creating the lake.
Turning the idea of building the centre into reality required a lot of modern day solutions because of the difficult nature of the underlying ground. The immediate area surrounding the lake is peat, unsuitable for building upon, but fortunately a rock outcrop provided the ideal base for the Centre. Much of Llyn Llech Owian Nature Reserve is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest due the important wildlife habitat.
The peat ground also made the use of traditional footpaths impossible due to the unstable ground conditions, which means that it moves with any increase/decrease in the water level. Floating pathways were cleverly designed, which were constructed from timber produced by the deforestation scheme.
To create the 360 degree panoramic view from the upper floor meant that it was essential to make the external wall non-load bearing which was another challenge for the designers. The problem was solved by creating a steel umbrella to support the roof from the central column, which transfers the weight directly to the foundations.
Tom Heal, Carmarthenshire CPRW Branch Chairman said:
"The members of CPRW in Carmarthenshire were very impressed by the design of the visitor centre at Llyn Llech Owian Nature Reserve, which was thought to be a very worthy recipient of a Rural Wales Award. Carmarthenshire Council has obviously given great consideration to the nature of the site, the scale and the design which blends into the local landscape."
CPRW would like to thank the Post Office for their vital sponsorship towards the Rural Wales Awards Scheme.
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