Slope Side

BY PETER VOGLER – WHISTLER, BC

The GLC bar and grill faced a problem, not a bad one exactly, but a problem nonetheless. Tucked slope side at the base of Whistler Mountain they had become so popular they were running out of floor space. The cosy, beamed interior was not nearly big enough to accommodate all the enthusiastic après-skiers and the patio outside could only sometimes beat the West Coast weather with its tabletop umbrellas.

While the GLC is cosy, it does sit on top of a gondola barn consisting of concrete, steel beams and huge, grinding gears and engines. Not very inviting, but it did possess a cold, damp, sunless, almost viewless and very unappealing rooftop at the back. In a stroke of patio brilliance GLC manager Mike Wilson suggested that they take on a challenge “and turn the worst of our real-estate into our best…”

So began a journey into the world of rooftop transformation. GLC hired Vancouver-based architect Michael Green who is famous for out-of-the-box thinking and the use of unlikely materials and techniques to solve seemingly intractable design problems.

To mitigate the hard-industrial look of the area, Green installed subtle, vari-shaded wood siding and placed it vertically creating both a warm atmosphere and a spaciousness that had previously been lacking. The wood tones are rich, sophisticated, and very modern, belying the tough industrial roots from which the patio emerged.

The patio was also extended with a cantilevered roof over the skiers’ plaza below. This not only increased the floor space but also changed the aspect so that the view now included both the mountain above and the social hubbub around the Fitzsimmons chairlift below.

But even the nicest spaces look glum if the lighting is bad and in Whistler that issue is exaggerated because the mountains in winter absolutely gleam. To that end a series of deeply recessed and angled skylights were introduced into the newly extended rooftop. They disperse natural light throughout and the cumulative effect of light and design make it both cosy and charming.

When cosy and charming doesn’t cut it and a large party wants to dance and shred, the GLC cunningly installed a programmable LED lighting system. After all, serious lighting is required when revelers arrive in everything from giraffe costumes, to Santa Claus outfits, to 1970’s freestyle fashions. Hey, it’s Whistler, right?

Add to this mix the built-in ceiling heaters, heat trace wiring in the floor to keep skiers comfy and dry, and signature glass-enclosed fireplaces and it’s no wonder the newly renovated GLC patio is an over the top success.

And to put the cherry on it all a professional sound company installed acoustically balanced speakers with a Wi-Fi system that can transmit concert audio from the festival stage across the plaza into the new GLC patio. Now that is a rooftop transformation!