Design Intent

This proposal is for a new beach-side restaurant and boat house incorporating training facilities and a lookout for the Royal Lifesaving Society. The site is on the beach at Chapel St Leonards on the Lincolnshire coast, East
Midlands, England, UK. The building has been proposed as a strong horizontal element in the landscape anchored to and providing a clean edge to the dune. The building provides shelter within it, a verandah to the east, a protected garden to the west and a viewing platform on the roof terrace.

The boat house and training facilities for the RLSS are at the south end of the site next to the ramp onto the beach and with easy access from the road.   The restaurant, bar and kitchen occupy the north end. The boat house and restaurant are separated by an undercroft which provides a protected outdoor space supporting the entrance to the restaurant, the toilets and the garden.   The bar is positioned to serve both the restaurant and out to the undercroft space.

The operations room and teaching area is on the first floor. This also functions as the observation area with access to the balcony facing east. This part of the building provides a vertical marker for the site, it is envisaged that it will be seen from along the coast and from the town. The boat house, storage and toilet/ changing facilities for the lifesaving volunteers are on the ground floor beneath the operations and training room.

Access to the roof is possible from the restaurant and from the boat house. The roof terrace provides a platform from which to view the coast line and to watch the weather. There is a dune garden on the roof, breaking down the mass of the building and connecting it with the surrounding environment. It is envisaged that the operations and training room could also be used as a private dining room/ function space catered for by the kitchen.

Along the length of the restaurant runs a 'sun scoop', where the roof folds up towards the west to allow the light of the setting sun to penetrate the restaurant space.   By doing this we hope to enhance the langour of the long, soft summer twilight.   The night time view of the building will show a slatted box glowing from within, like a lantern and making visual links to other maritime features such as beacons and lighthouses.

Construction and Materials

The chosen materials are pre-cast concrete and timber. The proposed construction is of a delicate pre cast concrete skeleton wrapped in a timber skin. An exposed floating concrete slab anchors the building at the foot of the dune. Both timber and concrete are ideally suited to a saline environment and require little or no maintenance and have a low embodied energy. The use of precast concrete elements as the main structure ensures that the size and therefore weight of the frames can be kept to a minimum and allows a high level of finish in both colour and surface quality.

The building is to be wrapped or clothed in two layers. The external skin or veil is of horizontal hardwood slats profiled to shed water. The second, internal skin will be timber framed glazed panels. All timber is proposed as Forest Stewardship Council certified hardwood.

The hardwood will require no finish to be applied and will silver off over time. Like a piece of drift wood or beach glass the external form of the building will slowly be softened, the hardwood will develop a patina specific to its orientation and level of contact with the users of the building. The external skin will protect the timber framed glazed panels and ensure that they can retain their lustre and provide a refined and simple enclosure.

Seasonal Adaptation

The building can be opened and closed down according to seasonal demand. The two skins of the building provide a range of possibilities, just as, when dressing for variable weather we wear layers which can be removed or added as necessary. When totally closed down only the boat house remains accessible. During periods of low demand the undercroft can be opened up and the bar can serve refreshments over the counter and the garden can be used. During periods of fine weather it is possible to completely open the restaurant to the beach. Both the East and West slatted facades can be opened and the glazed panels can be slid back. The number of covers can be doubled from 60 to 120 when the garden and verandah are used. During periods of inclement weather the slatted facades can remain closed to protect the diners whilst still allowing views of the beach and the weather coming in from the sea.

Any variation in between is possible and the configuration may change through the course of one day, depending on winds, temperature, sun angle, season and the whim of the clientele and managing staff.

The possibility for adaptation provides not only pragmatic solutions, but poetic and cultural responses to the site and brief.   We wish to highlight the changeable nature of the sea and the weather and the possibility for drama that it provides. We also want to show admiration for the Royal Life Saving Society, where a fast and well trained response and a respect for the sea is at the heart of their success.   In this way the building should mimic it's users, by being flexible, strong, sheltering and responsive.