It is a challenge to whet the appetite of the country's most ambitious architects, and the competition to redesign Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier is already taking shape.

Six architects have now been handpicked to submit their best proposals for how to rebuild the iconic structure's fire-ravaged pavilion, and together with its owners' determination to make it great again, the pier's future is looking bright.

One of those short-listed to design the multi-million pound project is London-based Ray Hole. At the moment he has only mustered a few preliminary sketches and has come up with a futuristic chrome and glass cocoon, powered by wind turbines and solar panels.

Mr Hole's company, Ray Hole Architects, has designed visitor attractions including the Snowdon Summit visitor centre.

He said: "I always relate it back to a forest. Without a forest fire or a tree falling, new life can't emerge. There's an opportunity here to actually create new ambition and new opportunities. I do like the idea of enclosing something in a total shell. It should be a beautiful levitating object. Nature has a wonderful habit of telling you how to do things."

His designs will come under the intense scrutiny of the pier's owners, brother and sister Kerry and Michelle Michael, who insist whatever is constructed where the old pavilion once lay will be in keeping with the rest of the resort.

"In terms of the visual aesthetic, the desire of everybody is to see something at the end of a Victorian pier that looks like it should be at the end of a Victorian pier," Michelle said. "So anything that looks like a spaceship is probably not going to be for us."

An in-depth look at what is in store for the historic pier will be screened on

on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight, including interviews with Mr Hole and the story behind how Michelle first heard about the blaze on that fateful day on July 28. She tells the programme: "I remember looking at the fire and thinking to myself, the flames aren't bad; the smoke is only in one tower; it's going to be OK. As I walked towards the pavilion and got closer to it I had an uneasy feeling when I looked up. I could see some more smoke coming out of the pavilion entrance.

"At that point, I realised we were in danger of losing everything up there. I think at that point in time I broke down. I felt in pieces, to be honest."

However, together with her brother, she is optimistic about the future.

about the future, and She says that before too long, construction will have started on a new, more exciting, pavilion – bringing a renewed sense of optimism to the area's beleaguered tourism industry, which the resort will be proud of for generations to come.

Cranes and workmen have arrived on Weston seafront to remove the charred and melted debris. The demolition project will last 10 weeks and is set to clear the way for the rebuild of the Grand Pier.

No pier designs have officially been submitted yet, according to a spokesperson. The deadline for entries is September 30, and the six plans will be displayed for the public in the Winter Gardens next month.

Before the rebuild begins, a taskforce of five different organisations must approve the design, including English Heritage, Environment Agency, Government Office South West, South West Regional Development Agency and South West Tourism.

Councillor Elfan Ap Rees added: "Typically, these sorts of competitions take time to organise before the work starts but the Michaels hope speed up the process. I understand they want they hope to play a greater role in events for Weston."