A giant ‘bug hotel’ built as part of the super sewer project has been highly commended in the Big Biodiversity Challenge Awards. 

The structure, which forms the external layer of a kiosk at Tideway’s Barn Elms site, is comprised of various materials and textures to promote invertebrate colonisation. 

Work was finished at the site earlier this year and handed back following a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Richmond Park MP, Sarah Olney. 

And now, the ‘bug hotel’ – thought to be one of the largest in London – has been commended at a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by CIRIA. 

Samantha Freelove, Tideway’s Legacy & Sustainability Manager, said: “At its core, the Tideway project is an environmental one, and it really has one mission – to improve the health of the River Thames.

“But the bug hotel at Barn Elms is a great example of our commitment to sustainability and the environment beyond simply building London’s super sewer.

“It’s wonderful for this initiative to be commended in this way.”

Tideway’s main contractors for the work at Barn Elms (as well as the western section of the project) are a joint venture of BAM, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty, while the designers were a joint venture of Arup and Atkins. 

The kiosk at Barn Elms also features bespoke artwork from artist, Adam Chodzko, and is based upon the area’s connection to Sir Francis Walsingham – the government administrator responsible for intelligence services in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I – who resided at Barn Elms Manor.  

For more information about the Barn Elms site, head to www.tideway.london/locations/barn-elms