The Cleveland Rowing Foundation (CRF) occupies the northern portion of Riverbend Park. The current building sits at a physical and conceptual seam between the old flats, dominated by the scale and architecture of industry, and the new, revitalized flats, which infills former industrial use with spaces for recreation and entertainment. The physicality of this seam manifests in an anomaly of the urban grid. The areas to the east and north follow the rhythm and scale of the historic streetscape while the CRF site - a former railyard - has always been an uninterrupted block with an orientation dedicated to mobility infrastructure.

This absence of alignment provides an opportunity to develop a new organizational rhythm across the site. Through overlaying a system of organizing lines, we connect the urban grid at the north with the park to the south while continually orienting the user towards the river. Lines are formed by granite curbs spaced 60’ apart and interspersed with an extended bosque of trees. The curbs create a flexible layout for cars, busses, and trailers and provide a reference elevation, sitting just proud of the gravel surface. The New Boathouse is sited to the north of the existing building, aligning entrances, and creating a formal threshold to the campus. The resultant plaza becomes a gathering space, both for daily team meetings as well as a venue for larger events.

In plan, the New Boathouse forms an irregular hexagon, making use of a skewed grid to mediate the various site alignments. At roof level, the alternating points of the grid lift and fall; the resultant deformation recalls the rhythmic oscillations of oars passing above and through the surface of water. The sculpted roof becomes an urban landmark, it’s iconic shape unique both when viewed from the surface of the water and from the bluff above.

The New Boathouse consists of simple, robust, assemblies with repeated details that serve multiple functions. These systems have to withstand abuse both from the elements and from the day-to-day activity of moving boats, while aligning with the client’s budgetary intentions. A ground concrete slab rises at moments to become a bench for team meetings. Expanded mesh walls allow for ventilation and protect shells from the elements. Polycarbonate wall panels create a self-structured clerestory, provide daylighting, and shield the boats from UV rays. Structural columns and bays form a diamond grid and are capped with a structural insulated panel roof. Cross-laminated timber walls serve as boat racks while creating visual division between bays.

The CRF has roots in Cleveland dating back over four decades. The nonprofit currently serves over 1,500 athletes, including numerous high schools, collegiate, and adult teams along with individual recreational rowers and hosts the Head of the Cuyahoga, the sixth largest regatta in the country. The New Boathouse seeks to create an iconic home for the CRF, while providing additional storage, flexible team space, and accessible workout and shower facilities for the it’s growing inclusionary rowing programs.

CRF Boathouse

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