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TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE – THE HALLMARKS OF LOWRY BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING LTD… Project: TheDark Sky Park andObservatory T he brief was to build NI’s first- of-its-kind dark sky observatory and visitor centre on a protected Project Manager at Lowrys. “We had to ensure that construction didn’t impact on the wildlife and native plant species that were growing there. “We went through a three-month said Chris, “with some very specific requirements as you can imagine!” The team’s technical and environmental attention to detail received the highest praise from both the building and
blanket bog in a remote forested area of designated outstanding natural beauty and environmental sensitivity. What could possibly go wrong? Not a lot, as it happens. The Dark Sky Park and Observatory in Davagh Forest has been accredited as an ‘International Dark Sky Park’, only the second place on the island of Ireland - and the first in the north - to achieve that. It’s also an unspoilt landscape and all stakeholders on the project wanted to keep it that way, as much as possible. “The site is next to a river in a very environmentally sensitive area and on top of a protected bog,” said Chris McIvor,
consultation period with NIEA before we could even get on to site. We detailed the control measures we would put in place to protect the river, wildlife and plant life and the protected blanket bog. “For example, when we were excavating the groundworks and pilings, we had to have a catchment area for any washout so no contaminants would flow into the river. This meant creating screens buried into the ground.” Being the first-of-its-kind project meant there was a lot to learn for the team at Lowry. “It was our first observatory,”
environmental sectors, reaching the finals of the Construction Excellence Awards 2021 and winning a Green Apple Award from The Green Organisation.
“We had to ensure that construction didn’t impact on thewildlife and native plant species that were growing there.”
Lowry Building & Civil Engineering, The Old Bank, 7 John Street, Castlederg BT81 7AW T: +44 (0)28 8167 8646 - E: info@lowrybuilding.co.uk www.lowrybuilding.co.uk
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