September 19 2024

A beachfront cafe is helping to reinvigorate the Cumbrian coast by drawing on art and architecture to punctuate the natural landscape.

Konishi Gaffney Architects in collaboration with Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Boyce celebrate the boundary between land and water with a cafe and visitor hub at Silecroft Beach managing tourism pressures within the Lake District National Park.

Drawing inspiration from traditional whitewashed seaside cottages the slate and white render visitor hub is dominated by an exposed roof composed of large Douglas Fir timber fins, this is complemented by marine-grade black steel shutters bearing a pattern motif developed by Boyce.

Konishi Gaffney founder Kieran Gaffney said: "Martin’s modernist-inspired approach seamlessly fuses the building's function with a distinct artistic vision, enhancing the overall experience for visitors.”

A splayed plan sees the centre hunker down against its exposed position framing two sheltered courtyards, one facing east towards Black Combe Fell and the other pointing west across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man.

The £620k hub is the culmination of a 2019 national architecture competition organised by Cumberland Council. Photography by Richard Gaston.

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