Platform

To avoid flooding from rising lake levels, we proposed to lift the whole building on top of a platform.

The platform will also serve as sun terrace and balcony area overlooking the lake; a terrace will be provided towards the South to benefit from direct sun light during clear weather, and a long balcony will cantilever out towards the lake to provide a long outdoor viewing area for the races. Riaing the building will make it appear as though it is floating in mid-air.

Shingle Barn

The form of the building is derived from associations of timeless barns and boat houses that form an important part of the building heritage of the Lake District. This building form will be familiar to both local residents and visitors from other regions.

The wood shingle cladding on both the roof and external walls will help to blend the building in its National Park setting, recalling the trees and providing a pleasant natural scent to the outdoor terrace and balconies.

The building is conceived in two parts, an enclosed lower level containing the changing rooms, offices and wet bar, and a more glazed higher level housing the main bar and clubhouse. The higher level will benefit from wide views of the lake and landscape, and will benefit from the extra height below an exposed wooden truss supporting the pitched roof. The internal truss will communicate a sense of being inside a large barn.

Timber shingles and shakes

In order to reduce to a minimum the use of concrete for the platform and foundations, we propose a lightweight building structure clad in lightweight wood shingles.

Sustainability

As a sustainable roofing material, the timber shingle can only be matched in its low environmental impact by thatch. If sourced in the UK it has the lowest embodied energy of all roof coverings. Care should also be taken in specifying FSC sources.

Shingles have relatively smooth faces and backs, while shakes have a highly textured, natural grain face and either a sawn or split back.

Cedar shingles used in the UK are usually treated with preservative to meet with the higher risk of decay in this country. A small number of projects have been completed using larch and oak, but feedback is as yet inconclusive.