WOODEN BOATSHOP STACKER
2023
“The façade becomes both environmental instrument and atmospheric register, making visible the conditions that shape the life of the boats it shelters.”
The Wooden Boatshop in Sorrento supports a broad community of boating enthusiasts across the Mornington Peninsula, providing essential infrastructure for the seasonal maintenance and storage of timber vessels. Conceived in response to the pressures of winter storage, the project evolved into a precise yet expressive synthesis of industrial pragmatism and atmospheric effect.
The primary enclosure is formed by a series of 13-metre-high precast concrete panels, establishing a durable and efficient shell. In a calibrated structural strategy developed with the engineer, the racking system itself supports the roof, eliminating the need for internal columns and allowing a clear, flexible volume. The roof is clad in Zincalume Hi-Ten Trimdek, integrating Ampelite skylights and an extensive solar array that powers the workshop and feeds EV charging infrastructure.
A more nuanced response is reserved for the street-facing façade. Set out on a 1480 mm grid derived from the Absco cladding profile, a screen of 15,747 Corten steel plates is suspended on custom stainless steel mesh. Developed, prototyped, and shop drawn by March Studio, the system comprises rhombus-shaped elements engineered to move with the wind, producing a shifting surface and a soft chattering sound reminiscent of rigging against masts. The façade becomes both environmental instrument and atmospheric register, making visible the conditions that shape the life of the boats it shelters, offered as a crafted, kinetic gift back to the public realm.
The most striking and unique element of the project is the 40 metres by 16 metres north facade adorned with 16,000 shimmering Corten steel discs. This captivating visual affect also serves a functional purpose as they elegantly move with the wind connecting to the essence of boating – the wind and weather – to gauge wind direction from the movement of the facade offering valuable awareness during unfavourable weather conditions. The project serves its community as a register of local knowledge and celebrates its inherent craftsmanship.
Despite its scale and industrial character, the building sits comfortably within its residential context, its material weathering and crafted elements embedding it within the local coastal landscape. In this way, the project operates as a register of local knowledge, quietly celebrating the enduring craftsmanship and culture of boat making it exists to support.
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INDUSTRIAL
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COMPLETE | 2023
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BUNURONG | SORRENTO, VICTORIA
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BUILDER | LONG CONTRACTING
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER | ALDANMARK
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EMMA PHILLIPS