The burning down of the old University College boathouse, a grade 2 listed Building, in1999 was a serious loss to the city of Oxford and to the Isis skyline. Careful thought was given to deciding whether to rebuild and, if so, in what form and in what style its successor should be designed.
There has, therefore, been detailed consideration of whether the style should seek to be a reproduction of the old boathouse, or a contemporary design, as well as of whether the replacement should continue to provide residential accommodation, perhaps on a more satisfactory basis than its predecessor.
In this case the site is extremely important and sensitive. Not only is it the only boathouse on that side of the river in this stretch, but it is also uniquely located amidst a landscape of rich water meadows in the Green Belt. It is also the single visual focus of attention of the string of boathouses along the opposite bank. University College, following the destruction of the listed building, during the first few years, entered into discussion with the Council on a number of possible schemes. But the planners were not satisfied that the designs put forward were good enough to replace such an important building. Eventually the College decided to have an invited competition in which Belsize Architects took part.
The decision was taken to create a fresh building, with the intention of adding lustre to the City’s architectural heritage through a boathouse that will be both elegant yet functional in design, and attract critical acclaim and public appreciation, just as the old boathouse will have done in its time. It should enhance civic pride and provide a real sense of place.
The scope afforded for freer design, together with the benefit of current technology, enables the introduction of new opportunities to enhance both the function and enjoyment of the building, including facilities for the disabled.
Just to take a few examples, modern technology makes it possible for the clubroom to be extended forward towards the water and be fully glazed to 3 sides in order to give the optimum view of the river and at the same time provide drama to the façade without obstructing sightlines. Similarly, the construction of the cantilevered roof makes it possible for the terraces to the front to have cover over them for protection against the elements as well as to provide a distinctive rather than conventional roofline.
The entrance foyer, walled completely in glass to both front and back, allows the visual connection between the river and the meadows behind to remain intact. The transparency of the foyer, as well as its recessed position between the divided boat bays, also makes the location of the entrance immediately identifiable. At the same time the capacity to build very robust walls with very limited areas of access meets the requirements for physical security in a relatively isolated spot.
Furthermore, new building methods make it possible to reduce the impact of the boathouse’s footprint within the floodplain by raising the ground floor above it
Design and the surrounding landscape The design is very much a response to the context, in this case the unique surrounding landscape. The wide horizon, the long river and broad meadows all seem to suggest the appropriateness of a horizontal and transparent design, in line with nautical tradition, which allows for the landscape to be understood and, as it were, flow through the building. The boathouse would sit in the meadows, leaving their natural beauty intact. The horizontality of the building and its rear terraces also enhances the approach across the meadows from the Abingdon Road.
The roof, lower and less vertical than that of its predecessor, can be seen as hovering like the blade of an oar over the building, unifying the disparate functional elements. The intention is for the boathouse to be seen to the maximum extent possible as an integral rather than opposing element in the horizontal landscape, as well as providing a backdrop, as for a theatre stage, in front of which the rowers play out their roles.
The decision to add accommodation for students was taken early on and supported in principle by the Council. It provides a welcome addition to the overall shape and scale of the boathouse, but more importantly is a vital way of ensuring that the boat house’s life cycle is not only limited to the usual day time activities but continues to have a human presence throughout the full 24 hours. This is crucial in this case as the security of the building in this area is of major concern, especially at night. The previous boathouse burned down following a break-in and 24-hour occupancy provides much better protection, both to the building and also to the immediate surrounding environment.
The number of student rooms has been increased from that in the previous one and the environment made more attractive in order to create a more viable community as well as better security. The living quarters of the student accommodation are to the front so as to enjoy the view of the river and the large viewing platform, but there is also a terrace to the rear giving a wide, uninterrupted view over the water meadows.
The Key worker’s flat is situated above the boat repair room and, though it is served by the same staircase as the rest of the building, it keeps a certain separation from the rest of the activities. It provides attractive, yet functional accommodation and also has views to three sides of the building.
There are two external staircases to the side of the viewing terrace, each of which has a steel wall with a door in it, half way up. When the door is closed, it would be difficult to get to the terrace. The door would be on latch from the terrace side in order to allow escape from the building in case of fire or flood.
Given the large ground floor area necessary for boat storage, the club and the viewing platform, student rooms, their ancillary facilities and rear terrace, and a separate flat for a warden are readily accommodated on the first floor.
The club has a prominent position, which breaks the line of the solid volume on the first floor and extends itself out over the ground floor boundary in an attempt to be in closer proximity to the river. A transparent box protrudes through the well-protected timber cladding on the 1st floor and the solid mass of ground floor brick, and gives an indication of the activity going on within the building. It is glazed over to three sides and it allows observation of the panoramic view of the river from within the room, giving the spectators a wide-angled view of the race. .
The roof covers the terrace area and provides shelter for the outdoor viewers. It thus protects the front terraces against the weather. It is clad in earth-coloured copper, which wraps round with a smooth, round edge to cover the underside. As the pitch is very shallow, the roof would look like a very light, thin flat blade, which hovers over the building and is keen to dip into the river.
