TY CWCH boathouse at Cwmtydu has added another award to its impressive CV in only its first year of business.

Ty Cwch is the first accommodation in Wales for outdoor activities made entirely from refashioned shipping containers and has now been highly commended at the Specifi Project of the Year awards.

Held in Cardiff City Hall, the event was attended by more than 100 industry professionals in Wales from architects to construction engineers.

The award is the second for Ty Cwch in a month since it opened last December. The boathouse was recently awarded the Mid-Wales Tourism Innovation Award.

Dressed in local Welsh larch, the six shipping containers make a spacious dwelling with three bedrooms and three living areas providing kitchen and entertainment facilities.

Crafted by local tradespeople, the scheme at Ty Cwch has many leading sustainability features. The containers themselves remain cool in the summer and retain heat in the winter. Heating for showers is provided by an air heat source and it will eventually have solar panels on the roof.

Ty Cwch is already proving popular with a wide range of guests. Ramblers Cymru used Ty Cwch as part of their Ramblers Festival last May because it sits between two attractive National Trust lands.

It has also proved a popular spot for surfers, who praise its easy access to some of the best surfing on the mid-Wales coast, and families who make the most of the good beaches in the area. Visitors have included those from Australia, Scotland and Germany.

The man behind the scheme, Nigel Humphrey, said: “Outdoor activities are becoming an increasingly popular part of the £1/2 billion pound tourist industry and Ceredigion has an abundance of choice.

“Facilities of this kind I hope will make them more accessible and provide an ideal base. We are looking to appeal to those who want to enjoy outdoor pursuits in the superb setting of Cardigan Bay.

“The shipping containers fit in beautifully to make the best use of the money and space we had available.”