NO TEMPORARY STRUCTURE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28524, 1 March 1958, Page 10

NO TEMPORARY STRUCTURE

“Coming To Terms With Nature”

“There is nothing temporary about the new Hermitage at Mount Cook.’’ This point is being emphasised by everyone concerned, from the Tourist Hotel Corporation of New Zealand to the workmen engaged on construction. Immediately after fire destroyed the old one, all thoughts were directed to replacing it quickly, even with “temporary” buildings. That seemed the only way. But well-integrated planning, priority

over all.materials, and phenomenal hours of work are producing buildings with a life of at least 60 to 100 years. The only concession to urgency is that the new Hermitage is of fairly orthodox construction. “Speed and expediency are no excuse for sloppy workmanship. Our aim has been to provide the best hotel in the country in the shortest possible timer” said one of the architects (Mr Keith McKenzie). On the job, the workmen agree with him. Architects’ Conception This is the architects’ concept of their task: “You cannot compete with Nature, so you have to come to terms with it. Amid the grandeur of the Mount Cook area, it would be plain silly to plant a flashy hotel. But you must give comfort and a feeling of security from the storms which may blow. That is why we have chosen a design in which the roofs show their strength and the rest harmonises with the surroundings. Once you do that, the plan evolves close to nature.”

This is why most of the main buildings are being faced on their lower walls with big split boulders, gathered from the nearby . Hooker river bed They give a rich pattern of greys, browns, reds and greens. The main walls are red cedar, handsawn to give a matt finish, and they are being oiled to a deep red-brown. Other exposed timbers are mostly Oregon and redwood The roofs are iron, treated with zinc chromate against the weather, and painted slate grey. But there will be bold splashes of colour, too, with every guest room frontage in a different colour. The wide overhang will prevent them obtruding on the colour schema of Nature. The floors are all concrete slabs, thoroughly dampproofed. Every Room Has View Every public, guest, and staff room at the Hermitage will have an unobstructed view out to Mount Cook. The main “daytime'’ building, roughly on the site of the old Hermitage, will have the same unsurpassed outlook. The guest room block, behind, linked to it by a covered stairway, is so sited that even the ground-floor level is above the ridges of the main building. Staff quarters to the east are set in the same way Every building is protected

against excessive heat and cold. Behind the interior walls and ceiling. of. every room there is a thick blanket of mineral-wool insulation, which will maintain even temperature and, even at the unfinished stage, provides a remarkable degree of soundproofing. There is central heating in all buildings and special ventilation ducts. Fire would be lucky to take this new hotel. Every room in the whole lay-out has automatic sprinkler points, served by a new reservoir with two 50,000-gallon tanks up the hill. ' Public Rooms Described Tourists and other visitors will enter a spacious reception lounge. Instead of queuing at the dask they will have places to put their luggage, have a cup of coffee, relax and enjoy their first view of Mount Cook, while their accommodation is. being settled From this level, four feet above the ground, they may step down 2ft 6in into the main lounge; mount 6ft to the landing giving access to the bedroom wing and to the two bars upstairs; or they may move left to the dining room or go down 3ft 6in to the right to the games and equipment rooms.

From every one of these rooms there will be a superb view out to Mount Cook; and the different levels will give added interest. The outlook may thus be from a comfortable lounge chair, a dining table, a games court, or from the sophisticated “snowline’’ cocktail bar or the more homely “tavern” bar. There will be thick carpet in most public rooms but there will be parquet for dancing and for games. This is being made of native timbers—tawa, matai, rimu, and beech. All public rooms will have the open rafters, typical of a mountain lodge, supported by unusual columns. The steel bearers will be faced in heavy timbers of cruciform shape, and they will branch out like , trees to the ridges and rafters. The kitchens are said, by those who have seen the plans, to beggar description They will have every possible labour-saving device, separate preparation bays for al! foodstuffs, two large electric cooking islands and big coolrnoms.

When a reporter of “The Press” arrived at the Hermitage late on Tuesday evening, the foundations for this big main building were in. When he left less than 24 hours later, much of the wall framing was up. This is the only major unit not nearly completed But it will be finished by tne end of April, have a running in period in May, and be ready for guests (who have already booked) by the beginning of June.