Decades in the making, The Summit is a 23,000-square-foot glass-enclosed guest services center perched on the highest peak at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Utah. Project leaders, GSBS Architecture and Layton Construction, solved soil stability challenges at 11,000 feet using Foam-Control geofoam from ACH Foam Technologies. Heavy materials and equipment had to be hauled up the mountain on winding maintenance roads, while manpower was transported on the resort’s cable tram. The tram climbs 1.6 miles and 2,900 vertical feet to arrive at the anchor structure on top of the mountain. Site excavation for The Summit uncovered the CMU block foundation of the tram structure. Foam-Control geofoam provided a structural barrier for the foundation.
While architects and engineers take comfort in ACH Foam Technologies’ Foam-Control geofoam performance, builders like Layton find it to be suited to circumstances where a structural fill is needed.
The blocks were moved into place by hand with two laborers. His team used a hot wire cutter to customize blocks as needed. Once the Foam-Control geofoam was put in place it was covered with 4-inches of free draining gravel and a concrete patio slab.
Today, atop Hidden Peak, The Summit is welcoming guests year-round. Four-hundred seats of cafeteria-style dining, service areas, ski patrol offices, and a wraparound deck allow visitors to enjoy views of the Wasatch Range and Mineral Basin below from both inside and out.