The Boat House
Adam Gibson
Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrandProduct Name
Pendant Lights &Tradition
Utzon JU1
TapwareAstra Walker
Icon
Metal Facade Cladding & RoofingStructuur
Kliptray 45
Doors & WindowsAlspec
Hand Made Ceramic BasinsLindsey Wherrett Ceramics
Torched Oak Dining Table & ChairsSimon Ancher

Product Spec Sheet
Pendant Lights
Utzon JU1 by &Tradition
Tapware
Icon by Astra Walker
Metal Facade Cladding & Roofing
Kliptray 45 by Structuur
Doors & Windows
by Alspec
Hand Made Ceramic Basins
Torched Oak Dining Table & Chairs

The Boat House

Maguire and Devine Architects as Architects

Designed for a writer and her Husband, the boathouse sits perched on the banks of the River Derwent in Southern Tasmania.  It is a small (ancillary) dwelling, dovetailed into the lush garden of their midcentury Myrtle clad family home.  It celebrates the experience of living on the waters edge, offering sanctuary and protection from the wild weather that blows in from the sea.

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

In this edge condition the boathouse offers prospect and refuge while carefully orchestrating levels of privacy from the northern approach and public walkway to the south.  Clearly visible from all sides the building was conceived as a sculpted object in the landscape; an envelope formed to create a sequence of crafted experiential moments, moulded to the specific contextual and climatic conditions of its place.  

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

A large facade presents its self to north, catching sun over the hilltops and drawing it deep into the plan.  The scale and presence of this timber clad elevation extends a warm welcome as it invites you down into the site.

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

A gabled elevation sits perpendicular to the waterfront, balanced over the public walking track below. It recalls the heritage listed boathouses of Cornelian Bay across the River.  Extruded back into the site, the gable forms a dramatic central living space with clean lines of perspective terminating unobstructed at glass, drawing the occupants gaze out into the view.

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

The protective standing seam metal cladding is dark and visually recessive.  Low sides of the gable further reduce the perceived scale, yet the form is not apologetic, rather it is strong and confident in this exposed prominent location.  

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

Internally, Tasmanian Oak lines the floor, ceiling and walls, contrasting against the dramatic tones of the river, offering warmth and protection from what is beyond.  Dark stained timber joinery houses services such as the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. 
Once within the wet areas, spaces are colourful and intimate, accentuating a sense of interiority and privacy while framing water views through small punch hole apertures.  

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

Decks to both the east and west extend like jetties out into the garden affording water views to south while being bathed in northern sun.  Bi-fold doors seamlessly connect each deck through the living space to create a podium, a place of outlook nestled into the bank.  Decks are low to the ground, omitting the need for balustrades, thus enhancing the relationship between building, garden and river.

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

At 60m2 the footprint of the ancillary dwelling was limited in size by council regulations yet boasts generosity through its dramatic high ceilings and warm, cosy interior.  The Boathouse creates a sense of both intimacy and grandeur, celebrating the experience of being right on the water. 

photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson
photo_credit Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson

Team:

Architects: Maguire + Devine Architects

Structural Engineers: Integral Consulting Engineers

Sustainability consultant: Red Sustainability

Builder: Langford Projects

Joiner: Mint Joinery

Building Surveyor: Pitt and Sherry Building surveying

Photographer: Adam Gibson 

Caption
Caption

Materials Used:

Facade cladding Metal: KLIPTRAY 45 CLADDING SYSTEM  by Structuur

Facade cladding Timber: shiplap Spotted Gum

Flooring + internal linings: Tas oak hardwood

Doors & Windows:   Alspec

Roofing:   Metal KLIPTRAY 45 CLADDING SYSTEM  by Structuur

Interior lighting: Pendants - Utzon JU1 (Finnish Design Shop)

Interior furniture: Simon Ancher (torched oak dining table and chairs)

Wood Heater: Hergom Glance

Tapware: Astra Walker Icon Range in aged Brass

Basins: Hand made ceramic by Lindsey Wherrett    

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