The Northridge earthquake of January 1994 destroyed a narrow strip of land, adjacent boat docks and two shower/locker buildings located in King Harbor Marina, Redondo Beach. The Pacific Ocean lies to the West. The Boaters’ Facility provides laundry, showers, toilets and lockers for people whose primary residence is a boat. The project was envisioned as a modest nondescript warehouse, or a large piece of cabinetry, floating on an asphalt parking lot.
Statement:
The form was driven by the specific dimensions of the existing parking lot. The repetitive rhythm of the warehouse, the boat docks, and the automobile parking is exploited and deployed in the 8 ft. structural bay system of the building, the 4 ft. plumbing fixture spacing and the 2 ft. storage lockers which comprise the cadence of the building. The exterior storage lockers which are accessed from the exterior of the building act as a thickened membrane isolating and masking the private interior bathing functions from the exterior, but also sign the building as one of ambiguous utility.
