Jon Beswick and colleagues from Adventure in Architecture, achieved not one but two world records and raised £100k for Community Action Nepal by hosting the highest dinner party and building the highest office structure in the world, with hubs. The records were set in 2018, and they're still unbeaten.
The world’s highest office structure
The climbers journeyed to Everest from the northern base camp in Tibet, following the Rongbuk Glacier to reach Advance Base Camp at approximately 6,400m. It was here that the high-altitude workspace was built with hubs.
The designers at Adventure in Architecture worked with us to create a lightweight snap-together kit that would stand up to extremely low temperatures. Jon Beswick reported that "it successfully withstood the elements and provided much needed shelter on this incredible record attempt.”
Crafted from acetal, known as "the plastic spring," the hubs demonstrated resilience in extremely low temperatures which allowed Jon and his team to quickly assemble the structure multiple times, offering shelter as they ascended towards the record-breaking altitude.
Beswick said: “The structure used light aluminium tubes of one length, rather than two for a standard dome which results in a simpler build. This was required for assembly at high altitude, where cognitive function is impaired due to a lack of oxygen.” He added: “I am thrilled to have added an architectural element to this amazing adventure. Our company prides itself on being part of groundbreaking projects and it is an honour to participate in these record-breaking journeys.
“While it was a quirky, eccentric challenge it was also extremely tough. Ultimately though we are raising money and awareness for a fantastic cause that is very close to our hearts.”
Our own Mike Paisley said: “It’s been brilliant seeing how creative people like Jon have used our kit to realise their ideas – we couldn’t have imagined someone would use hubs to build a structure near the summit of Everest when we started our crowd-funding campaign back in 2015.”
The world's highest dinner party
After breaking the first world record of the trip, the climbing team then continued their climb and successfully broke the Guinness World Record for the highest formal black tie dinner party.
They enjoyed a gourmet meal at North Col, which stands at 7,020 meters on Mount Everest. Here, the team elegantly arranged a dining table complete with a tablecloth, crockery, cutlery, a flower arrangement, and even some champagne! The diners feasted on a bespoke high-altitude meal meticulously crafted by renowned two-Michelin-starred chef, Sat Bains.
Diners wolfed down miso soup, lamb tagine and a chocolate dessert. Champagne flowed, at least until it began to freeze in the -25oC conditions.
The dining party included six men dressed in black-tie attire resembling James Bond, along with two women in full-length dresses. The guest of honor was Sirdar Nima Sherpa, who received his own dinner suit after an abandoned attempt in 2015, due to the Everest earthquake.
After the dinner, the diners set up camp and descended the next morning.
Community Action Nepal Charity
The dinner party had been some time in the making. Many of the team attempted this world record break in 2015 but were caught in the devastating Everest earthquake mentioned above. None were injured but all were emotionally impacted and felt a need to help the people of Nepal.
Community Action Nepal (CAN) is a UK based charity who's aim is to help the mountain people of Nepal. CAN have an office and staff on the ground in Nepal to make their projects happen. They work with mountain villages and communities, to provide health, education, income generation and cultural and porter welfare facilities.
CAN projects are grass routes driven, with the ideas coming directly from the supported communities. Since 1998, more than 50 community projects have been established. CAN currently operate 9 health posts, 8 schools and 3 mountain porter rescue shelters.
Learn more
If you fancy building your own dome, on Everest or your back garden, check it out here.