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Architects: Michael Cooper Architects
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Mark Scowen
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Lead Architect: Michael Cooper
Text description provided by the architects. Recessed into the Pohutukawa-lined cliffs and appearing to effortlessly float upon the water’s edge of Auckland’s Herne Bay stands the Boat House. Designed to provide clients with a space to store and launch their boats from the base of their property, the Boat House offers an elegant solution to access and connection to the Waitemata Harbor.
Inspired by the traditional gable house, the Boat House is comprised of an asymmetrical form suited to house the client’s powerboat and Laser yacht fully rigged. The refined exterior material palette of dark corrugate cladding allows the building to respectfully integrate into the cliff’s edge, while the purpleheart hardwood decking effortlessly descends into the water’s edge.
Translucent cladding lines the front and rear of the building, emulating the sails of a yacht when the doors are open and, subsequently, a ship's lantern when closed at night. The interior architecture of the boathouse is refined to elegantly integrate functionality and beauty within a maritime environment.
The interior is lined with Meranti ply and custom shelving, while laminated timber portal frames, reminiscent of typical boat construction, visually define the ground floor boat storage from the mezzanine workspace.
