SILECROFT CAFE
A proposal for a community cafe at Silecroft Beach in Cumbria.
The building is sited at the point where the coastal path enters the carpark at Silecroft beach, a gathering point for walkers, water sports, and drivers arriving from different points.
The building has three linked wings that face the sea, the mountain, and back to the village. These offer shelter from the wind as it moves direction, giving different possibilities for where to sit outside, and accommodate the kitchen, changing, and seating.
Three distinct columns of different materials (a standing stone, a timber post, and a buoy-like steel element) anchor each of the wings and support overhanging profiled metal roofs. External walls are finished in pebbledash and lined internally in timber. The timber structure has a traditional red-toned protective coating, while a floor of local slate runs inside and out. Timber framed glazing on each side give views through the building of the sea to the West and Black Combe to the North, while an inglenook fireplace lends a sense of greater protection from rough weather.
Competition entry.
