Padstow lifeboat station

September 2006 saw the completion of a brand new boathouse and slipway at Trevose Head, Padstow, Cornwall, ready for the latest Tamar class all-weather lifeboat.

Building a new lifeboat station raises huge logistical and technical difficulties. In Padstow's case the roads nearby were unsuitable for HGV transportation, so 90% of the building materials had to arrive by sea.

The resultant design, architecture and construction of the distinctively shaped boathouse and slipway took only 14 months to complete but is intended to have a lifespan of more than 50 years. RNLI Shoreworks Manager Howard Richings says: 'Construction of any building with its feet in the sea, and exposure to the forces of wind and wave, is a challenging and high-risk enterprise. Design standards have to be top class and inevitably this costs money.'

Since its completion, the new boathouse has won two prestigious awards. In February 2007 it was named the winner of the new building category at the Cornish Building Group Awards. In May 2007 it won the Local Authority Building Control Award in the best public/community project category for the south west of England.