Looking
as though it is poised to take flight, the Blackburn Wing is a
multi-award-winning conference and events venue located within the
ancient woodlands of the historic Bowcliffe Estate at Bramham, close
to Leeds and York. Designed by The Harris Partnership and
commissioned by the Bayford Group, the aerofoil-shaped ‘treehouse’
(as it is sometimes described) is located in the grounds of an estate
that once belonged to aviation pioneer Robert Blackburn – a fact
that inspired both the aeronautical theme of the design and the name
of the venue.
Major
refurbishment
The
200-square-metre Blackburn Wing is part of a £6 million
refurbishment of the estate. The curved wooden beams and tensile
cables of the construction reference the biplane wings that Robert
Blackburn is credited with creating. Clad in copper, it is
cantilevered 30 metres above ground, supported by galvanized steel
legs and reinforced with steel cross-bracings. Two wooden walkways
form a connection between the ‘wing’, with its spectacular
wrap-around balconies, and the estate grounds.
Magnificent
interaction of design and setting
In
addition to copper and wood, glass plays a central role in the
design. Glass feature balustrades on the balconies and walkways –
created by Q-railing – together with glazed floor-to-ceiling
curtain walls allow for stunning unobstructed views of the
surrounding woodland. As a result, users of the building experience a
feeling of openness and connection with nature. In total, 140 metres
of balustrade were installed, with Q-railing Easy Glass®
MOD 0763 glass adapters and stainless steel cap rails. Specific to
this balustrade system is the extension of the glass over the fascia
for a continuous, uniform and transparent effect. A series of
Q-railing handrails and cap rails in a variety of materials, shapes
and sizes are available to complete the balustrade as desired.
This
particular glass balustrade can be installed at the bottom edge as a
glass clamp system between the glass panels, or at the lower edge of
each glass panel secured with the safety pins. In this particular
project, the glass balustrade reinforces the feeling of proximity to
nature from the inside of the building and blends perfectly with the
face of the treehouse from the outside.
Since
its completion in February 2015, the Blackburn Wing has won numerous
awards, one of them being the RIBA Yorkshire Award 2015. Being
declared one of eight outstanding Yorkshire buildings recognised for
their architectural excellence, Blackburn Wing is renowned for its
high-quality construction and its sensitivity to nature and feeling
of connection with its surroundings.
