Options for new Pikes Peak Summit House share ideal of enhanced experience
They got to view 20-some display boards arranged in the Peak View Conference Center at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post and to hear presentations on four potential preliminary options for a new Summit House - the facility that handles visitors arriving from the cog railway, Pikes Peak Highway and Barr Trail. No decisions were made at the meeting, and even the options that were shown appeared in white because it hasn't been determined yet what sort of materials will be used for the new structure's exterior. But attendees did get a sense of what possibilities exist. The options ranged from a mostly one-story layout that Alan Reed, a lead consultant, described as the most minimal, to Option 4, a more prominent structure which suggests large glass panes offering great views of storms. In the project, the city is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Springs Utilities (whose facilities at the summit are separate from the Summit House) and the U.S. Army (which is following a separate planning process for replacing its current research lab there). Private consultants consist of a local design contractor, RTA Architects; and Reed's GWWO, which has helped design national parks, according to project public relations lead Lisa Bachman. The current Summit House, which was built in the early '60s and is showing signs of deterioration, is operated as a city enterprise under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. As presented at the meeting, some key prevailing themes for the new facility are improved views (the current building interior has virtually none); added opportunities to learn about the peak's flora, fauna and
As presented, each of the four options would have a total of 26,000 square feet of space (the current facility is 12,000 square feet), with a 200-seat dining area, a gift shop, interpretative space, indoor/outdoor viewing possibilities, kitchen/maintenance/staff areas and parking for up to 200 cars. The comments from Coppedge and Reed, in context with the display boards, made it clear that they aren't discounting the challenges of building on top of a 14,115-foot-high mountain, with issues such as lightning, high winds, altitude, low temperatures, snowdrifts and permafrost. The project planning is in what's being called Phase 1 - (Programming and Development of Design Concepts). This will turn to Phase 2 (Concept Review and Selection) this winter and then Phase 3
As far as construction, Coppedge said he believes “we'll need the summers of 2016 and 2017” to complete the work. Details on how the work would be accomplished are still under consideration. One possibility, Reed said, is building segments in Colorado Springs and then flying them up to the summit in a helicopter. The current Summit House would remain open during the project. For more information, or to offer comments, go to pikespeakcolorado.com and click the Summit Complex Project button. As of Oct. 9, the options from the Oct. 7 meeting had not yet been displayed on the website. To be notified of future updates, the e-mail address is SummitComplexInfo@springsgov.com.
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