Although it may not seem obvious, boats and buildings have a very long and close relationship. Each is in fact a type of architecture, although designers are not necessarily taught to think that way. Yet as architectural systems become more complex, and construction techniques more advanced, the technical conditions separating these types have become less stringent. Ships are built on the scale of buildings, with modern cruise liners functioning as mobile hotels, with all the amenities, and sometimes more, than their landlocked counterparts. With every advancement in technology, certain boats \u2014 especially luxury yachts and ships for recreational use \u2014 seem to be striving to become more like buildings.<\/p>\n
But what of buildings? Though the influence of maritime architecture on building design is often less conspicuous, the trend is not wholly one-sided. Twentieth century modernists, inspired by the closed systems, built-in services and compact arrangement of living spaces found in steamships and cruise liners, adapted these ideas into their revolutionary designs for communal living spaces. Today, the influence has progressed to a point where ship design is not just to be found in internal systems and floor plans. The projects on this list represent examples of contemporary architecture making up a postmodern landscape of pastiche and appropriated form, in which the image of a boat can signify a boat, or almost anything else. These structures do not simply embody abstract ideas about ships \u2014 they are literally shaped like them as well. The rationales for each design vary, and help to illuminate the complex and ever-growing relationship between these two fields of architecture.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Associated Architetcs LLP<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n
\u00a9 Associated Architetcs LLP<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n
\u00a9 Associated Architetcs LLP<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n
Michael Baker Boathouse<\/b><\/a> by Associated Architects LLP<\/a>, Worcester, United Kingdom<\/p>\n The name of the Michael Baker Boathouse has a double meaning \u2014 not only is it storage and space for a university row team, but the building itself is actually in the shape of a boat. The second story of this waterside structure juts out towards the water like the prow of a massive ship, at once declaring the building\u2019s function and uniting the project with the natural landscape. The effect is reinforced by the choice of materials: the wooden cladding on the boat-shaped form distinguishes it from the architecture of its brick mount.<\/p>\n \u00a9 BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n 1200 Intrepid<\/b><\/a> by BIG \u2013 Bjarke Ingels Group<\/a>, Philadelphia, Penn., United States<\/p>\n Located in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, not far from ship-filled docks, the office building 1200 Intrepid responds to its surroundings by establishing a transition between naval and terrestrial architecture. Though the building appears from some angles as a familiar, if not conventional rectilinear form, the structure\u2019s starboard side pitches outwards, warped like the side of a massive ship. Though the building is decidedly landlocked, the design gives the project the movement and energy of a great hull splitting through waves.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Tuomas Uusheimo Photography<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Tuomas Uusheimo Photography<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Tuomas Uusheimo Photography<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Boat House<\/b><\/a> by Sanaksenaho Architects<\/a>, Nanjing, China<\/p>\n Sanaksenaho Architects\u2019 Boat House presents a similar amalgamation of forms as 1200 Intrepid, featuring one side which is curved like the body of a ship. Yet this side of the structure is facing away from the adjacent lake, embedded in the earth like a retired vessel. Instead, a wall of glass faces the lake. When illuminated from the inside the house resembles a massive lantern casting a light over the reflective waters.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Fotograf Christina Capetillo<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Fotograf Christina Capetillo<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Slotfelt Barn<\/b><\/a> by Praksis Arkitekter<\/a>, M\u00f8gelt\u00f8nder, Denmark<\/p>\n Praksis Arkitekter renovated the 19th-century Slotfelt Barn, to transform it into a multipurpose exhibition center. The project spotlights the underbelly of the great structure, in the shape of a massive, upside-down ship, which forms a cavernous roof over the interior spaces.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Austin+Mergold<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 Austin+Mergold<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n SuralArk<\/a><\/b>by Austin+Mergold<\/a>, Queens, N.Y., United States<\/p>\n SuralArk, meanwhile, references an ostensibly primordial example of naval architecture: the abandoned remains of Noah\u2019s ark, after the flood. The architects combined this image with materials inspired by modern suburban architecture, to create a dialogue not only between ships and houses, but between narratives of domestication and civilization.<\/p>\n \u00a9 EASTERN Design Office<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 EASTERN Design Office<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 EASTERN Design Office<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n On the Corner<\/b><\/a> by EASTERN Design Office<\/a>, Higashiokino, Higashiomi, Japan<\/p>\n Although not located near any body of water, EASTERN Design Office\u2019s On the Corner brings the ocean to the middle of a residential neighborhood. The structure, located on a narrow plot of land, comes to a dramatic and sharp corner that stands out from landscape like a great ship\u2019s prow. The building\u2019s spectrum of blue tones breaks up its urban surroundings, recalling vibrant ocean waters and reinforcing the project\u2019s connection to maritime architecture.<\/p>\n \u00a9 BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \u00a9 BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n Danish National Maritime Museum<\/b><\/a> by BIG \u2013 Bjarke Ingels Group<\/a>, Helsing\u00f8r, Denmark<\/p>\n Another ship-inspired structure by the Bjarke Ingels Group, the Danish National Maritime Museum, is situated not next to the docks but within<\/i> them \u2014 with exhibition spaces embedded in a drained and preserved section of the port. Fittingly, the former dock does not embody the structure of a boat, but the memory of one. The museum takes the shape of a massive boat\u2019s footprint, extending underground and encouraging visitors to experience exhibitions in the spaces where ships once moored.<\/p>\n Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizer<\/a>\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0inspirational newsletters<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" These contemporary projects bring ships to moor \u2014 permanently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"2055650","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[15],"architizer_project":[],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-6287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collections","category-inspiration","tag-collection"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\t
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