Boathouse, Lake Windermere
The Brief
Creating a new boathouse on a vacant lakeshore site, with a wet dock below and a day room above
The private clients came to John Coward Architects after purchasing a vacant site on the shore of Lake Windermere. At the time, it was simply a grassed area with a timber jetty, but they had long wanted a lakeshore site where they could create something very special for their family.
Their brief was for a new wet dock boathouse with a day room above. Building directly on the lake brought significant engineering challenges, so close collaboration between the clients, John Coward Architects and the structural and civil engineers was central to delivering the project.
John Coward Architects was project architect from inception through detailed design, securing planning permission, Building Regulations approval and the necessary permissions from the Environment Agency and Lake Wardens. We remained involved through construction to completion.
Key features
- New-build wet dock boathouse
- Day room overlooking Lake Windermere
- Contemporary design informed by traditional Windermere boathouses
- Local stone walls and slate roof
- Vertical timber boarding and metal cladding
- Extensive glazing towards the lake
- Timber screening providing privacy, solar shading and natural light
- Planning, Building Regulations and lakeside consents
- Close coordination with structural and civil engineers
- Later dry dock boat store designed on the same site
A contemporary boathouse for Windermere
The lakeshore setting was fundamental to the design. We looked at the boathouses that have stood around Windermere for many years, but this site was vacant and offered an opportunity to build something new. We did not want to produce a pastiche. The finished building is recognisably a boathouse, but its design is contemporary and of its own time.
We were keen to use vernacular materials, including a slate roof and local stone walls, but combined them with vertical timber boarding and metal cladding so the building still felt contemporary. The more modern materials also help give it the character of a recreational building rather than making it feel too domestic.
The clients wanted to make the most of the views across the lake, which meant using a considerable amount of glass, but privacy was also important. We introduced hit-and-miss timber screens in front of some of the more habitable spaces. From a distance, they provide privacy, while still allowing natural light through and providing solar shading.
Getting the building up out of the water was one of the most technically demanding stages of the project. Constructing directly on the lake required complex engineering, and we worked closely with the engineers throughout.
The project developed through frequent, rigorous consultation with the clients and was largely realised as drawn. Following completion of the wet dock boathouse, John Coward Architects also designed a dry dock boat store on the same site.
