Hi Twm (gotta be Welsh?), check this out:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=37801&SearchTerms=design

The centrepiece HAS to be a big funky weathervane.

ha ha, yeah that's right...Welsh born and bred!

Thanks for the link there's some good stuff there, certainly some things i can use.

Still looking for details on board and sail dimensions though...the largest size they go to so i can design the storage accordingly.

The research I've done suggests that the largest boards are 2.6m long and 60cm wide. Is this right.

As for sails, all i can find are their areas (6.2 m squared and such). What I really need is the height and width. If someone could give me an idea of this then that would be great!

Sailhack I don't have a budget in fact so I really can go crazy. However, there's a limit to what I can do to the surrounding area. I have a small site plan with a 20% limit on the area I use for construction. I've included a pic that should show you what I'm dealing with.

They expect us to model in CAD (little more than Sketch Up at the moment), Technical Drawings and Physical Models.

nebbian A weathervane is a SUPERB idea (especially a funky one)!

nasty I hadn't considered that...my own uni too and it never even crossed my mind. I'll contact them soon as.

Thanks for the help guys, I'll keep you up to date on my projects progress.

Twm said...

The research I've done suggests that the largest boards are 2.6m long and 60cm wide. Is this right.

As for sails, all i can find are their areas (6.2 m squared and such). What I really need is the height and width. If someone could give me an idea of this then that would be great!

I'd keep an area for 'big' boards, kona, serenity, doubles?!? otherwise most boards are between 2.3 - 2.8m in length, and 0.5 - 1m wide. Sails no probs, they roll up to a 300mm diameter (large sail) and are 1.4 - 2.4m in length. Look at storage solutions for these, as there are good & bad ways to store gear...

Twm (Australians would probably just call you Tom)
Try these links below to give you an idea of all the crap we keep in our windsurfing sheds / trailers.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=40828&whichpage=1

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=44531&SearchTerms=trailer

Don't forget a large area for rigging boats and sailboards together with washdown facilities and most importantly the sailing fraternity have been known to enjoy a drink or two so a bar is critical.

Good luck with your first year design assignment - that's the great thing about university assignments, you're only limited by your imagination. Referencing the sail or hull forms in terms of generating building forms could be nice symbolically but not essential.

Out of interest is LU's Architecture course 6 years.

I'd suggest I nice big rigging area - grass works ok, but Liverpool can be wet. Don;t want to rig on concrete or tarmac because of the potential damage to gear. Maybe some of that really soft spongy substance they use underneath children's swings in the park? I don;t know how abrasive it is, but worth a look.

Also the area should ideally be a little sheltered, but it's not too important.

Ah, yes, and one very important thing - don't put the buildings in the way of the prevailing winds! Sounds simple, but there are plenty of places that have made this mistake - the Neilson centre in Dahab for example is a massive structure you could park a plane in, and directly in the way of the wind! (http://www.neilson.co.uk/Beach-Egypt-Dahab-At-a-Glance.aspx)

For an idea of gear storage, check out images of Club Vass and Club Dahab on google images, and this - ' />&imgrefurl=www.flyingfishonline.com.au/printed.asp%3Factive_page_id%3D107&usg=__IkmnVFe2uOwJWOXzpZfFjlKpPZE=&h=201&w=201&sz=86&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=KJaS5wGO4U9bsM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclubdahab%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26cr%3DcountryAU

Looks like Club Vass uses a wooden deck as a rigging area...

of it were me i'd go for transportable self sufficient containers. ie. containers with built in water harvesting/solar/wind generation.

for a great massing exercise/envirinmentally friendly and has an endless scope.

lot-ek.com look at the mdu at the bottom of the index on the left.
or search shipping container architecture in google.

storage should accomodate rigged sails. 5800x3100
boards rack 1100x2700

a viewing platform would be nice,

and of course as mentioned above stay away from the prevailing breeze so as not to create a wind shadow.

you should also have an indoor/outdoor bar/bbq area.

What about;

Wave barriers in some places to create flat-water zones for learners, and those learning new moves.

A bar and coffee shop with a great view of the sailing area; plus an area where the under-18s can hang out.

A shop and gear-hire area.

A creche.

Facilities to allow schools to use the area for sports classes (ie windsurfing lessons).

Areas of shallow water for teaching waterstarts and beginners.

Lots of storage for longboards (3.5-3.9m) plus an area for tandems; any place that relies on those who need planing conditions to have fun may struggle to get enough customers.

Lockers for sails, masts, mast bases and other gear, because gear goes missing from open racks; best of all is a locker long enough to take your gear and your board.

Hosing down area with water recycling system.

A fire for defrosting in front of in winter.

Oh, and a special area for those (like some of the kiters here) who think that only their form of sailing is any good. We call this an exit.

I like the sound of those transportable self sustaining containers Gestalt, especially their enviromentally friendly aspects.

Those dimensions will also be really handy.

landyacht thanks for the info on land yachts. I've heard from other sources that the largest yachts that could be used on Crosby Beach are the Class 5.

Thanks for the design ideas guys, however, we have been warned (quite specifically) not to base our design on a sail or a shipping container (the site is right next to a container port).

WOD the site already has a lake on one side and the sea on the other so it features a flat area for training. The rest of the ideas I shall definetly take on board though.

Unfortunately I have just disocvered how small the area allocated to the actual building footprint is. It's going to be a struggle to fit everything in.

Twm,
You know a lot of the world's great architectural masterpieces completely threw the project brief out the window - it's usually sometimes the most radical ideas that garner the backing of the client. Think Pompidou Centre[spelling], Syd Op House, Guggenhiem Mueseum, the list is numerous.

nebbian said...

The centrepiece HAS to be a big funky weathervane.

with a mirror ball

FlickySpinny said...

I would ignore the references to 3.5m - 3.8m longboards - these went out with the ice-age (no offence meant) and aren't very beginner friendly (compared to the new short-and-fat beginner boards like a Starboard Go). I cannot remember the last time I saw someone sailing something over 3m long - actually I can - it was a tandem (which I also believe you probably don't need to accommodate given the rarity of these beasts).

Just my opinion - not slating people who enjoy these things, but pointing out that there are so few people that are into this kind of stuff that it's probably not worth designing a centre around them.

oh damn..someone better tell Kona and starboard and all the other companies to stop making them...
I'm sure the $2000 plus they are getting for them is a furphy,
they obviously dont have a market.

but no "slating" taken flicky.

Twm said...

Well what I was thinking might be wise would be for the majority of storage to hold the smaller boards (less than 3 meters) with one or two spaces for the larger Kona Doubles.

mate you will be surprised at what a rate of knots the longboards are coming back..
these are not doubles..flicky was just mentioning what he had seen..longboards are singles and their popularity is increasing..

but to be honest would your teachers know what is used anyway..is one of your teachers a sailor ..
you should check that out
most would not even know what sailing is about..but if one is,
he will be the one deciding if you are correct or not

pick his brain

find out if he sails longboards or short
many short boarders will "poo ha" longboards
but trust me longboards are coming back...why.
because manufacturers have run out of the newest thing..
just check the website of every major manufacturer,its the new black.

These manufacturers say," now lets create a new market as we have saturated the others."
so hence this revival is as much marketing related as it is a belief in longboards

so what this says is..sus out your lecturers..

is he/she/they sailboarders and what do they sail..
if they sail longboards you will insult them not to include them
if they hate longboards they will say..oh no one rides them anymore.

I would as flickky states concentrate on wide beginner boards, as learning platforms.
[although longboards are good learning platforms,
longboards have a stigmata to overcome,..
unfortunately,due to them falling out of popularity]

I personally believe that wide shortboards are fantastic to learn on.

that would be a very important issue..wide boards are good learning platforms and have been accepted by most training schools