Rusty Green Canoe Club By Sarah Wigglesworth
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.14.08
Sarah Wigglesworth is one of our favourite green architects, previously seen building in straw and sandbags.; Not quite the materials one might use in the post-industrial wasteland site in Southwest London that she was commissioned to design a canoe club for.
So she made a post-industrial building clad in rusty Corten steel, designed to resemble rusty upturned boats moored on the riverbank.
Cor-Ten is a self-sealing product beloved of architects but disowned by its inventor. USS, because it tended to (Surprise!) rust through. However if it is thick enough that can take a very long time. Inside, according to Building Design, it is built with Cumbrian sheep’s wool insulation, a heat exchange unit made possible by the high local water table, and high-quality construction. The roof is EPDM covered with demolition rubble, all of which was kept on site, which is intended to encourage the insect and spider life vital to sustain rare bird species.
It is designed to be demountable and removable in case repairs are required for the embankment wall.
There have been mixed reactions from the users, who used to have a couple of shipping containers as their club. " “We tell people we used to operate out of a couple of rusty boxes, but that now we have a new building, we operate out of a couple of rusty boxes.” ::Building Design
Sorry, my first reaction was "wow, thats ugly."
Well, those are about the ugliest things I have seen associated with Canoeing. I would have thought they would have gone for cedar strips, with brass fittings. Something with sweeping curved walls.
Oh how I love honest, rich materials! This is great, a beautiful and real surface. I may not go out and build my house out of rusty metal just yet... but maybe my work space.
-Oscar
To my mind, they're a damn sight better looking than those generic apartment blocks behind them...
That said, I don't find those shapes particularly hull-like.
I'll never understand why a place as dreary as London would accept such mundane and drab architecture.
Personally, I've always liked the look of rust, as it reminds me of earthy natural colors.
Granted, this building could use some contrasting materials or maybe some color, but is it any less drab and dreary than the brown buildings behind it?
Ha.. good to see architecture polarizing opinion.. like any successful piece of art!