London Bat House Competition

Client: Royal Institute of British Architects

Role: Architecture

Status: Conceptual

Fact: The design features caves, bridges, and houses- three of the favorite dwelling areas of bats. 

The WWT London Wetland Centre held an open design competition for a year-round habitat for bats in the London area. map-lab wanted to create a space that protected the bat population and accomodated their needs while being able to offer the public a sense of interaction with the bats and to provide them with educational information about the 15+ species being housed.

The design included a cluster of houses, a cave, and a bridge – the three most common spaces used by bats for roosting. The houses are viewable to the public from an observation platform, where people can view the spectacular sight of masses of bats flying into the open sky at dusk. The bridge habitat is the underside of this platform, which incorporates wooden slats spaced apart from eachother allowing for bats to roost between.

A cave is provided within the hillside. Small openings on the backside of the hill allow bats to enter. A glass panel on the floor beneath the platform allows for visitors to look into the cave and view the bats without disrupting them.