A change of function for buildings that have become obsolete is no exception nowadays. But reuse of a residential building as a flat for bats is unique. The German town of Meiningen was home to a colony of approximately six hundred greater mouse-eared bat females with young in the unused attic of a block of houses. When it was decided to demolish the block, a new location for the colony had to be found. But the colony proved to have a strong connection with its attic and furthermore, moving to an alternative place was hardly possible. A part of the residential block therefore remains, now as a six-storey tower with a diameter of around 15 metres. The stripped building was covered with a grid of wooden slats so that predators, particularly owls and martens, cannot enter it. The result is that it has not only become a habitat for different bat species, but also for birds such as the jackdaw and the common swift. The trellis and its isolated location in a green environment have given the tower a unique aesthetic quality.
-Meiningen (D) 2007
-Housing Association Meiningen(WBG), Stiftung Fledermaus, Erfurt
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