The Summit Cafe.

Mar 19, 2007 05:03:56

The existing building was designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (of Portmeirion fame) back in the 1930s and is coming to the end of its life. Over the past few years many alternatives have been seriously considered from having absolutely nothing on the summit through to a very large development. Those responsible for briefing the architects decided that the closure of the railway would have an extremely detrimental economic effect on Llanberis and, if there were to be a railway then obviously passengers would have to be provided with shelter and toilet facilities appropriate to their needs. However one previous proposal would have cost over £10 million and would not only involve considerable disruption during the building but also go against the views of many who did not want to see a more considerable facility than that in place already. 350,000 people use the existing building every year. About 120,000 come up on the train and the remainder walk up being divided roughly in half between "serious" mountain walkers and people who are not hikers per se. A survey of users found that very few wanted to see an 'empty' summit. The Brief Therefore the architects were briefed to look for a building with an eye to reduction - i.e. of costs, environmental and visual impact etc. The building should have a footprint no larger than that existing. The uniqueness of the local environment should be understood and respected and should avoid further erosion. It should be appropriate as a resource for visitors and hold out against the inclement weather. It should appeal to people of all ages, cultures and abilities - staff and visitor It must interpret the views, weather, geology flora etc. both internally and externally. It must try to achieve sustainability of energy and water production and storage. The Architects Furneaux Stewart have worked on projects such as The Welsh National Botanic Gardens, the Eden Project and the Rainforest House in Hanover. Their representative explained that the view of the present building was "of a shoebox" and the view from within "was from a cave". He explained the many studies of people's behaviour at the summit and how that of walkers differs from the train visitors and also explained the tests with materials, wind tunnels etc. that are being undertaken. The Building They propose: To remove the existing second storey and to place the roof on a slant so that the view of the summit is not impaired, condensation problems inside will be improved, it will be easier to collect rainwater for recycling and energy consumption will be reduced. The water and fuel tanks etc. are to be sited below a raised train platform - this will bring the whole facility on to one level and avoid the need for steps. There will separate access for train passengers and walkers to reduce overcrowding on the platform and to give a secure store for wet walkers equipment to reduce condensation. There will also