STRUCTURES
The best way to understand the success of the structure is to talk to the people who use it on a daily basis. The two boating instructors who i talked to, both have mixed feelings about its layout. Although they like the actual use of space in the two buildings, both of which are well insulated and warm, they were disappointed with the use of the space between them. The raised steel mesh structure does not allow easy access for storage underneath and although it is an exterior space it is not well protected for the rain and wind, so the space can become unstable and slippy which is not very practical for a teaching space. The suggested maybe having two platforms, one raised for storage underneath, and one just above ground level, so the pier wall will give some form of protection for the wind.
INVESTIGATION INTO CLADDING
These two images try to convey how the Corten Steel Cladding sits upon the buildings frame and how it joins to the structure. The structure is consists of clad in Cor-ten steel, a low maintenance and vandal-proof material, to resemble rusting boat hulls. I wanted to see how the cladding fits into the structure of the Boat Store/Offices part and investigate how it works. After that I looked back into the photos and figured out, that the actual sheets of corten steel are put on top of the regular structure, forming the different horizontal ornament. I did the several elevations of the Office/Boat Store building to show how the cladding structured and how the frames of the windows and doors fit into it.
The top sketch shows how the sheets of the corten steel attached to the framing and fixed with some kind of bolts.
MODEL OF THE TIMBER FRAME
This model shows the structural integrity of the building. The building uses a conventional wood framing method with ventilated façade. For all vertical structural elements. solid timber studs have been used, except for the roof joists which are glue laminated timber joists. Another interesting feature is the bracing elements which in-spite of the walls being wood, are made from galvanized sheet metal.
The two above images illustrate what the model was investigating. The timber frame forms the main structure of the buildings.
INVESTIGATION OF THE BRIDGE
This sketch is of the bridge which links the framed platform in between the buildings and the water. I wanted to focus more on the construction and how the pillars hold the structure of the bridge so I did the quick sketch of it to investigate the relation between the repetition of framed structure that holds the platform. While doing it I learnt that the platform has to hold its own weight and in fact it has several joints so the structure is very solid and strong to hold any heavy items.