This boathouse in Canada was designed by AGATHOM architects.

The following text is from the architects:

‘As an answer to the client’s request to ‘not see a roof from the window of the cottage’, a buried boathouse was designed for the sandy shores of this Ontario lake. An industrial galvanized steel culvert developed for train tunnels and mining shafts was adapted to accommodate the family motorboat and water gear. The boathouse was carefully sited to engage an existing concrete breakwater, turning it into a waterfront walkway. The new structure maintains elements commonly associated with boathouse vernacular. The front cedar face slopes back at a ten-degrees angle, so the door falls back when opened, like a ship’s hatch. The roof soil is held in place by a concrete rim pulled back slightly to expose the galvanized steel. The exterior is raw, untreated cedar that is turning silver to compliment the steel and concrete. Water laps about one-third of the way into the boathouse. A wire wall at the back holds in place three feet of rock, separated from the soil by an impermeable sheet. Inside, ordinary light bulbs are tucked behind steel and recessed in the deep corrugated grooves. A light and air scoop was fabricated and cut into the culvert at the stone wall to allow air circulation and to activate the deepest area of the boathouse with intrigue.’

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