Una tecnologica rimessa per barche sul fiume Yealm, vicino a Plymouth /

/ The Londonbased practice Wimshurst Pelleriti has designed a boathouse built of steel and wood on the River Yealm, near Plymouth. A small example of naval engineering that makes the most of the small amount of space offered by the steep and narrow bank

LIKE A LITTLE CASKET OF SIBERIAN LARCH HIDDEN AMONGST THE LUSH HILLS OF NEWTON FERRERS – a picturesque slate-roofed village to the east of Plymouth, England – the boathouse of the Berbering family stands on the water’s edge in the splendid Newton Creek, an inlet of the estuary of the River Yealm that runs into the Channel from the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a paradise for sailors and water sports enthusiasts. In this setting the Berberings asked the London-based practice Wimshurst Pelleriti to design a berth on the river for their home, in which they could store boats and leisure equipment. With this small structure the unrealized dream of a father who passed away prematurely meets the needs of his four children to make use of the craft independently; and to reorganize the existing quay, so narrow ( just five metres) that it provides only cramped and problematic room for manoeuvre.

So the first idea was to create a volume that on the ground

A WALKWAY CONNECTS THE HOUSE TO THE SHORE AS FAR AS A NEW PLATFORM SHELTERED BY TREES

THE STRUCTURE OF THE HOIST AND THAT OF THE BOATHOUSE COINCIDE, MAKING JOINT DESIGN AND CLOSE COOPERATION INDISPENSABLE

floor – a water-resistant full-height storehouse with a space at the back – can be opened up with sliding doors at the corners that face onto both the river and the slipway, in order to make it easier to handle long pieces of equipment. On the upper floor a fully automated hoist has been installed on an extractable track to raise the family’s small speedboat into the eaves.

Behind the minimal lines of this structure is concealed what the architect Will Wimshurst has called “an incredibly challenging brief.” The process of design and construction, lasting over three years, has been one of continual adaptation to the complex characteristics of the site, as well as an attempt to have building science and naval engineering converge. To construct and install the hoist the architects turned to WISE Handling, “a firm specializing in the production of mechanisms for boats,” explains Will Wimshurst. “But above all one used to operating directly in an aquatic environment. In this case in fact the

structure of the hoist and that of the boathouse coincide, making joint design and close cooperation indispensable.” The small size of the boathouse, six metres wide and just eight deep, also bears witness to the effort to find a compromise between functional necessities and the complexity of the site. The structure adapts delicately to fit the rocky surface of the shore, as varied as it is precarious, which has been consolidated. The intervention has also involved work on the quay, where it was possible to operate solely during the five hours of low tide a day and required the use of special additives in the concrete. A walkway connects the house to the shore, running along the steep bank next to the boathouse as far as a new platform sheltered by trees from which to enjoy the breeze off the Channel, comfortably seated on deckchairs. ○

La rimessa è articolata su due livelli. Al piano superiore, un argano montato su un binario estraibile permette di issare il piccolo motoscafo di famiglia. The boathouse is on two levels. A winch in the upper section is mounted onto a track that extends out to lift the small family speedboat out of the water and move it inside.

Project Boathouse Architect William Wimshurst Project team William Wimshurst & Chris Worsfold Structural engineers PCA Engineers Consultants Wise Handling (boat hoist) Robinson White Partnership (quantity surveyors) Client Private individual Contractor AD Williams Timeline 2016-2018 Built area 65 sqm Location Newton Ferrers, Devon, UK L’intervento di Wimshurst Pelleriti si inserisce nella splendida cornice del Newton Creek, un’insenatura del fiume Yealm nel South Devon. The new structure, designed by Wimshurst Pelleriti, blends beautifully into its setting: Newton Creek is an inlet of the River Yealm in South Devon.

Al piano terreno gli angoli della rimessa si aprono con ante scorrevoli per ottimizzare il ridotto spazio di manovra. Sotto, particolare del binario al piano superiore. In basso, il magazzino a tutta altezza. On the lower level, the sliding doors on the corners of the boathouse open to give more room for manoeuvre. Below, a detail of the track higher up. Bottom, the full-height storage area.