Everything is shipshape 14 September 2006; The Sydney Morning Herald,
Domain
This development certainly won over one judge. By
Melinda Ham
The Boatshed, encompassing three eclectic,
nautical-style apartments, on the side of an old boatbuilding workshop
at Palm Beach, is the winner of two awards: the best use of timber and
home units $2 million-plus.
"The Boatshed is a one-off project, unique on
Australia," Peter Court, the MBA judge, says.
"It as been built with no expense spared, creating
very tasteful apartments. I absolutely love the place."
Parkview, the owner and builder of the project in
Snapperman Lane, Palm Beach, joined forces with architect Walter Barda
to create this unique "boaties" building.
The design includes a curved tower - alluding to
nearby Barrenjoey lighthouse - as well as a wooden dinghy enclosing
the central staircase, to connect with the history of the site.
Court gave the best-use-of-timber award to this
entry because of the high level of exceptional-quality woodwork
throughout the building, much of it crafted by shipwrights.
This included recycled blackbutt floors from the
original site, dark-stained timber ceilings, rough-hewn wooden walls,
timber kitchen benchtops, wooden sunshades, the boat-hull staircase, a
free-form rudder staircase and a curved timber deck in apartment
number two.
Gary Cory, the construction manger of Parkview,
says he has never worked on such a meticulous and ambitious project.
"It was a colossal project from a builder's perspective," he says.
"There was hardly a parallel line in the whole design. Nothing was
square. There were so many curves and unusual angles; most had to be
hand measured."
The first step was to deal with the problems of
the site. Fuel storage tanks below the water table had contaminated
the soil, so it had to be treated and then the basement of the
building had to be waterproofed to guard against king tides and
flooding.
Barda combined locally hewn standstone with
rendered cement over the brick exterior and an unusual copper roof,
which will turn eucalyptus-green over time from weathering. The roof
also includes a steamship-style funnel.
"I was the design of the building as an
opportunity to give back to the street by infusing whimsical elements
with echoes of the site's history and be slightly tongue-in-cheek at
the same time," he says. "I also wanted to raise the bar
architecturally to showcase workmanship of the highest quality."
Local residents will still be able to get their
boats repaired in a corner of the new site.
The Boatshed complex now includes three,
three-storey residences, each with interiors that combine a
smart-system of appliances and air-conditioning, leading onto private
jetties on Pittwater, with separate entrances and foyers from
Snapperman Lane and embellished with roof gardens and landscaping,
also designed by Barda.
Parkview Suite 3, 2 Wentworth Park Road, Glebe NSW 2037
Postal: PO Box R1779, Royal Exchange NSW 1225
Phone: +61 2 9506 1500 Fax: +61 2 9506 1599 Email: enquiries@parkviewgroup.com.au