Selected Project
Knoll Ridge Cafe
With the destruction of the original Knoll Ridge Chalet in February 2009, an ambitious design/build programme was initiated to create temporary replacement facilities for the 2009 winter season followed by the design, documentation and construction of new facilities to be ready for the 2010 winter. RAL engaged Stanley Construction to provide a design / build service with HB Architecture providing the architectural services. Once the debris of the original cafe was removed, the new 220 sq m temporary cafe was erected on the remaining ground floor slab. The simple lean-too structure used an LVL post and beam frame connected to an original concrete block wall (with additional strengthening), which supported the sandwich panel roof. The roof was finished with profiled steel, walls are timber board and batten with double glazed window units, interior is lined with plywood. The building was finished ready for the 2009 ski season. This building tested the methodology to be adopted for the new cafe (and the replacement storage shed for the snow groomers). The location of the new cafe is 50 metres down the mountain from the original cafe site, with the main cafe floor at approx 2010m ASL. The eastern face of the building is located on the edge of the drop off to The Te Heuheu Valley ski area taking full advantage of the view to The Pinnacles. This face of the building is fully glazed. The new cafe has the capability to seat approx 400 people inside with a further 200 on a surrounding deck. Under the building are the public toilet areas and staff facilities and storage. The new building has been designed using modular systems, which allow for a lot of prefabrication and rapid construction on site. The concrete floor panels were prefabricated in Matamata and delivered to site over snow. The walls and roof sandwich panels were also made off site but flown up the mountain. The main frame of the building is made out of glulam timber.
- Category
- Public Architecture
- Location
