"Disappearing Boathouse" Goring Upon-Thames.

At the beginning of the year we were presented an exciting proposal and plans by architect Andrew Pettican from Bluesketch Studio, to build a stainless steel clad boathouse, in Goring, in an idyllic spot on the banks of the river Thames.

We embarked on the project in June 2023 with our small team, and Cobus is within a week of completion at time of writing.

The building was built with timber framing on steel posts. The architect designed the building to be elevated to give the wildlife room to live under and not affect the surrounding natural environment, as well as protect against flooding.

The roof will be a “Green Roof” with grasses on the edges to also contribute to it’s sustainable footprint, and to disguise the building even further.

The highlight and defining factor of the mirrored outside cladding was a challenge but Cobus figured it out. The outside panels were made by stainless steel sheeting bent around panels mechanically fixed to batons on the building. It took a while, but I am sure you agree the outcome is magical.

The main living room includes an open plan living area with kitchen and bathroom with mod cons including under floor heating, incinerator toilet, hot water with fully fitted kitchen with oven, dishwasher fridge freezer etc, which includes a bespoke concrete counter top made by Cobus at the Aartvark Collective.

The internal was clad with birch ply and 18 mil laminate oak flooring.

The bathroom was micro cemented throughout including walls and the vanity unit was also made and designed by Cobus Swart bespoke for the project.

It was a privilege to be involved in such a special project and within such a setting. The architect Andrew Pettican from Blue Sketch Designs did an incredible design and we are very very grateful that we were able to bring it to fruition.

A beautiful last project for the UK for now. x