The architecture of masts

Abstract

The origin of this project came from careful consideration for a threshold between the fabric of Old Town for its historic presence and the Potomac River for its freedom to sail.

The order for the threshold came from recognition of the historic grid of the city and its brick construction. A sailing school was chosen as the activity to draw the community to the river. The inspiration for the design was derived from the nature of boats and their delicate rigging. The architecture was generated from the principles of material economy of the masts and ties to create a tensile structure.

Although the project fulfills the basic needs of a sailing school, its form came from the desire to express the spirit of sailing at the edge between land and water.