Visitor centre on top of Snowdon wins RICS award
- Published
Hafod Eryri, on the summit of Snowdon, is clad in Welsh granite
The visitor centre at the top of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, has won a "project of the year" award.
The honour, from Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in Wales, was welcomed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, which owns Hafod Eryri.
Other winners included the Scala Cinema and Arts Centre in Prestatyn, and Villa Marina, Llandudno.
Llety Cynin in Carmarthenshire and Cardiff Central Library were also recognised.
Peter Trumper from the Snowdonia National Park Authority said: "I'm absolutely delighted and honoured. It is a special day for Snowdonia, this award makes it all worthwhile".
The builders of Hafod Eryri overcame the challenges of construction at the sumit of a mountain of 1,085m (3,488ft).
The Scala Cinema and Arts Centre won the Golley Slater Community Benefit Award after it was saved by the Friends of Scala when it closed in 2000.
Visitor numbers have been fewer than expected at the Scala in Prestatyn
The Scala is also in the news because Denbighshire council has approved an £86,000 bail-out plan to rescue the arts centre, 15 months after it had a £3.5m facelift.
General manager Chris Bond said: "It is amazing to be recognised with this award".
Villa Marina, in Llandudno, received the Cadw building conservation award for the renovation of an early 20th Century house.
Support from community
"It shows the support we have had from the community all the way through from the start to the opening and beyond," he added.
Llety Cynin accommodation and leisure owner, Elizabeth Davies, said their ECA regeneration award gave the family business a chance to "showcase ourselves to a wider audience".
The £12m Cardiff Central Library won the sustainability award.
It features a sedum grass roof, light motion detectors, water-saving devices and a system which monitors each floor's energy usage.
Belinda McGahey, of architects BDP who designed the library, said they were proud to receive the award.
"We were amazed to receive record entries for the RICS Wales Awards this year which is fantastic," said Christina Hirst, acting director of RICS Wales.
"This is considering that these projects have survived, and thrived, to open in one of the most difficult economic climates on record," she added.