The Once and Future Boathouse

Spotted on Designboom, a summer boathouse in Norway that is at once rustic and futuristic (indeed, it looks like it was rendered by a particularly ingenious video-game designer for a Myst-like fantasy world).

No fantasy this: the boathouse is the work of Norwegian architecture firm Tyin Tegnestue, located in the township of Aure on the Norwegian coast. The architects dismantled an existing 1800s boathouse and created a new building that retains the simple form of the original with a wall of gull-wing-style panels to open the space to the breeze. We like this direction that architecture is taking: classic forms, reclaimed materials, and modern functionality.

Photography courtesy of Tyin Tegnestue Architects.

Above: The building is striped with light, thanks to floor-to-roof-peak windows. (N.B.: Want to see more of our favorite photos? See what we’re pinning and then follow us on Pinterest here.)

Above: The side facing the deck is composed of individual panels, lined with cotton canvas, which swing up to form an awning. (N.B.: For more, see “5 Favorites: Summer Boathouse Roundup.”)

Above: Above: Salvaged paneling lines the interior of the new, steel-framed structure; the windows were reclaimed from an old farmhouse.

Above: Above: A hanging fire pit provides extra warmth on chilly days.

Above: The building sits lightly on the original bedrock.

Above: Steel fittings anchor the paneled windows.

Above: Norwegian pine cladding will weather to a gray patina. For the world’s best lakeside cabins, see On Blue Mountain Lake: The Hedges.

(N.B.: This is an update of a post originally published on Nov. 11, 2011.)

For inspiration, see images of 11 more Boathouses in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.