The Nature of a Wooden Boat: Boat - House - Analogy

Abstract

This work seeks to explore the nature of a wooden boat and how a boat's design and construction can influence the building of a house. It is a search for a structure that bears a memory of a boat and celebrates the craft and care of which boats are built.

The house is located on the north side of a secluded reservoir in the Northwest Georgia mountains. It is raised up on and supported by a structure that is reminiscent of the way a keel of a boat supports and connects the boat together. This structure extends out from the house to a small shelter for a boat over the water. On the interior, heavy frames support and give shape to the thin shell of the house. Their repetition encourages a view of the boat and its shelter. The house itself is thought of as a vessel, a place that provides a sense of holding, of protecting and keeping safe, and of strength.