Padstow Lifeboat Station

  • Client RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institute
  • Location Padstow, Cornwall
  • Year 2006
  • Cost £6.3m

The Royal National Lifeboat Institute's impressive new home for the latest Tamar class lifeboats in Padstow was designed by Poynton Bradbury Architects and consulting engineers Royal Haskoning.

Padstow Lifeboat Station is located on the east side of Trevose Head, and although the rocky outcrops provide a degree of protection the station is subject to considerable coastal forces.

The project is the winner of five design awards, including overall national winner of British Construction Industry Civil Engineering Award 2007.

The design of the station incorporates a cliff hoist and access bridge to enable casualties to avoid the use of steps and be evacuated quickly. The Tamar Class Lifeboat is located on a tipping cradle which aligns with the slipway for both launch and recovery.

The complex construction was carried out by Nuttall John Martin from the sea via a jack-up rig and barge.

The construction of any building with its feet in the sea and exposure to the forces of wind and wave is a challenge. Design standards and construction materials used for the boathouse structure and fabric had to be of the highest specification.

Adam Littlejohn, RNLI Shoreworks Manager
Padstow Lifeboat Station
Awards
  • Institute of Structural Engineers National Awards 2007 Overall Winner – Community Category
  • British Construction Industry National Awards 2007 Overall Winner – Civil Engineering Category
  • LABC South West Construction Quality Awards 2007 Overall Winner – Community/Public Category
  • Cornish Buildings Group Awards 2006 Best New Building