Expansive Rowing Facility on the Huron River:

River Rock Regatta Campus

Media: Digital Drawing, Blue Foam and Rockite

Year of Project: 2019 Winter Semester

How was it Done: Independently

Context: University of Michigan Arch 322Undergraduate Studio 2

A campus designed to stretch a substantial expanse along the Huron River in local Bandemer Park, Ann Arbor, this boat campus is a unique twist on designing a boat house. Large, rock masses make up the architectural environment on sight in order to relate the campus to its surrounding environment. They are created from locally quarried stone and can be inhabited as well as walked on top of to support visitors during colligate regattas. The campus would be the primary home of the University of Michigan men’s and women’s rowing teams and could also accommodate other rowing teams from the local community. The space be-tween each rock can be used as viewing lawns and the numerous pavilions that dot the site can support food venders.

The campus is programmed with all of the facilities a rowing team would need in order to train adjacent to or on the water. The boathouse, the largest facility, holds most of the team resources. Respective locker rooms for men and women as well as centralized boat storage organize the interior space. The exterior terrane enables visitors to walk all over the rock as well as secure spots to view regatta races from up high, or close to the water’s edge. Sky-lights dot the top of the rock to provide natural sunlight within the cave-like spaces.