Copeland Borough Council and Silecroft Parish

Budget

£380k

Situated in the corner of the Lake District National Park, Silecroft Beach is the only bathing beach within the boundary of the Lakes and is envisioned as a premier West Lakes tourist destination. Exciting! So when a competition was announced to design a beach front cafe and tourist hub we obviously jumped at the chance... along with everyone else who saw the massive article in the Architect's Journal (https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/competitions/competition-silecroft-beach-cafe-cumbria).

Out of the nearly 60 entries our proposals were one of three which were Shortlisted, though we unfortunately did not win the project in the end. Our proposals focus on reviving the vernacular form of the white harled fisherman's cottage in the area and using WikiHouse to lower the building costs and involve the local community. Utilising a material palate of white render, ceramic tiles, lightweight translucent cladding and timber our designs anchored three projecting traditional volumes to a services building which were arrayed to capture views out to sea and towards nearby Blackcombe Fell.