Wales' Highest Building Mapped

The building was officially opened at the beginning of June 2009 and a team of surveyors from Ordnance Survey had already been there to capture the detail.

Steve Roddick, Surveyor responsible for collecting the building details, said that with traditional methods of surveying, the survey would not be possible on the day when Ordnance Survey's surveyors were there, due to poor visibility. "We couldn't actually see the building from the trig pillar on the summit even though it's only 50 yards away. However, with our new hi-tech kit, which relies on global satellites for positioning, we were able to map the building without any problems, even though we could barely see it!"

The new visitor centre will appear on Ordnance Survey's OS Explorer Map sheet OL17 from September, but is already available on digital products.  The granite building was designed to blend in with the landscape and cope with the extreme weather conditions, while a glass wall offers visitors a window on the world. The building has courted controversy in the past with Prince Charles calling it the "highest slum" in Wales.