In Canada, a new recreational complex is being created according to the design by studio A8000.
Czech architects A8000 designed a year-round tourist resort in Nova Scotia. The abandoned ski area has been deteriorating in recent years and had no use. Now it will be transformed into a vibrant seaside town at the foot of a Canadian national park. The area will be complemented by a treetop walkway, marina, walking, running, cycling, and mountain biking trails. The recreational area will also include a hotel, private apartments, services, and restaurants. However, the biggest attraction is the unique ski slope that ends directly in the ocean.
The original ski resort was established in Cape Smokey 40 years ago for the Winter Canadian Sports Games. However, its narrow focus on only the winter season and exclusive orientation on sports use became its downfall. The abandoned site is now being revitalized by Czech investors led by Jiří Kejval, the chairman of the Czech Olympic Committee, who has engaged architectural studio A8000 to cooperate on the vision, concept, and master plan. The studio will utilize its extensive experience with the comprehensive transformation of development areas. Cape Smokey is poised to become a ski resort and summer destination, modeled after Lipno, which the architects revived 30 years ago.
The area has fantastic potential. It is located directly on the iconic Canadian coastal road circuit, Cabot Trail, reminiscent of the legendary Route 66 in the USA. Therefore, the goal of the A8000 studio's design was to create a year-round tourist resort with a primary summer and winter season and secondary spring and autumn seasons. Cape Smokey is based on the idea of diverse and quality leisure activities in nature. The area is expected to offer a marina with a romantic pier, a coastal promenade, shops, services, accommodation, housing, as well as a microbrewery or artisan bakery. The design of the holiday cottages in the marina is by the architectural office ADR, led by Petr Kolář. A 1,200-meter-long cable car will lead from the new main square of the small town to the High Lands plateau, where visitors will find the ski slope's peak. The old double chairlift will be replaced by a modern gondola that can transport up to 2,400 people per hour. It is expected to be accessible year-round. The iconic building at the peak of the ski area will be the sharply geometric restaurant The Cube. Visitors will be able to enjoy the landscape of Nova Scotia from above, as the design includes a popular treetop walkway. Some ski trails will literally run between individual houses, allowing people to hit the slopes directly from their apartments.
"Cape Smokey is an amazing place. Just imagine: you are skiing on the hills while watching the ocean, wondering if a whale might surface. You won't experience anything like this elsewhere. From the start, it was clear to us that a two-season resort must be created here. Only in this way can the area prosper economically and become a truly lively place that people will want to return to. Additionally, the location lies directly on the iconic Cabot Trail. However, the population density around is very low. The area once thrived on mining and fishing. The former has become unprofitable, and the latter has been restricted. Canadians today welcome any new initiative," explains architect Martin Krupauer.
The project involves a group of investors led by entrepreneur Martin Kulík, who is also behind the success of the ski village Malá Horní Úpa, along with Jiří Kejval. The area could accommodate up to 3,500 people. A new gondola is already in operation, and the foundations for the treetop walkway are also completed. Work is also underway on hiking and cycling trails, as well as the first accommodation buildings. Everything is expected to be completed within 10 years.
Author team: Martin Krupauer, Pavel Kvintus, Martin Sedmák, Václav Mašek, Petr Jakšík
Design team: Petr Jakšík, Václav Mašek, Matúš Paštor, Jaroslav Kedaj, Ondřej Sejkora
The original ski resort was established in Cape Smokey 40 years ago for the Winter Canadian Sports Games. However, its narrow focus on only the winter season and exclusive orientation on sports use became its downfall. The abandoned site is now being revitalized by Czech investors led by Jiří Kejval, the chairman of the Czech Olympic Committee, who has engaged architectural studio A8000 to cooperate on the vision, concept, and master plan. The studio will utilize its extensive experience with the comprehensive transformation of development areas. Cape Smokey is poised to become a ski resort and summer destination, modeled after Lipno, which the architects revived 30 years ago.
The area has fantastic potential. It is located directly on the iconic Canadian coastal road circuit, Cabot Trail, reminiscent of the legendary Route 66 in the USA. Therefore, the goal of the A8000 studio's design was to create a year-round tourist resort with a primary summer and winter season and secondary spring and autumn seasons. Cape Smokey is based on the idea of diverse and quality leisure activities in nature. The area is expected to offer a marina with a romantic pier, a coastal promenade, shops, services, accommodation, housing, as well as a microbrewery or artisan bakery. The design of the holiday cottages in the marina is by the architectural office ADR, led by Petr Kolář. A 1,200-meter-long cable car will lead from the new main square of the small town to the High Lands plateau, where visitors will find the ski slope's peak. The old double chairlift will be replaced by a modern gondola that can transport up to 2,400 people per hour. It is expected to be accessible year-round. The iconic building at the peak of the ski area will be the sharply geometric restaurant The Cube. Visitors will be able to enjoy the landscape of Nova Scotia from above, as the design includes a popular treetop walkway. Some ski trails will literally run between individual houses, allowing people to hit the slopes directly from their apartments.
"Cape Smokey is an amazing place. Just imagine: you are skiing on the hills while watching the ocean, wondering if a whale might surface. You won't experience anything like this elsewhere. From the start, it was clear to us that a two-season resort must be created here. Only in this way can the area prosper economically and become a truly lively place that people will want to return to. Additionally, the location lies directly on the iconic Cabot Trail. However, the population density around is very low. The area once thrived on mining and fishing. The former has become unprofitable, and the latter has been restricted. Canadians today welcome any new initiative," explains architect Martin Krupauer.
The project involves a group of investors led by entrepreneur Martin Kulík, who is also behind the success of the ski village Malá Horní Úpa, along with Jiří Kejval. The area could accommodate up to 3,500 people. A new gondola is already in operation, and the foundations for the treetop walkway are also completed. Work is also underway on hiking and cycling trails, as well as the first accommodation buildings. Everything is expected to be completed within 10 years.
Author team: Martin Krupauer, Pavel Kvintus, Martin Sedmák, Václav Mašek, Petr Jakšík
Design team: Petr Jakšík, Václav Mašek, Matúš Paštor, Jaroslav Kedaj, Ondřej Sejkora
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
0 comments
add comment
