Millrace rowing club boathouse

The problem

Kestle Rowing Club had outgrown a 1950s timber shed that flooded every other winter. The club had 180 members, 32 boats and a junior squad that changed in a portable cabin. The replacement had to sit on the same riverbank plot of 900 m², within flood zone 3, on a budget of $2 million raised over six years of grants and regattas.

The environment agency required the building to add no flood storage loss and to keep the riverbank path open. Long boats need clear spans of at least 19 metres and a wide, flat apron to the water. The site also lies in the view from a historic bridge, so the planning authority asked for a low, quiet roofline.

Process

1. 01

   Let the water through

   We made the ground floor a boat store designed to flood. Open slatted doors on both long sides let water flow in and out, and every surface below the flood line is concrete, galvanised steel or oak. The clubroom, kitchen and changing rooms sit on the first floor, 600 mm above the 1-in-100-year level plus climate allowance.

2. 02

   A glulam span and a charred skin

   Glulam portal frames span 20 metres without columns, so the longest eights slide straight out. The upper floor is clad in charred larch boards that need no maintenance, and the roof is a single shallow pitch in standing-seam zinc, kept below the bridge parapet in the protected view.

3. 03

   Building between floods

   We scheduled ground works for April to September, when flood risk is lowest. The glulam frame and CLT first floor went up in three weeks, which meant the building was watertight before the first winter high water. Boats were stored at a neighbouring club for eight months.

Selected images

Outcome