yacht club architecture

KDY - Royal Danish Yacht Club

Torm, Carlsberg A/S, KDY

Collaborators

COWI A/S Schønherr

Tuborg Havnepark 15, DK-2900 Hellerup

Completed in 2007

Byggeri Magazine, Chosen Construction (2007), World Architecture Festival Awards, Shortlist Pleasure Category (2008)

The Royal Danish Yacht Club is home to the Danish Association of Yachters, founded in 1866. In 2007, the new clubhouse opened in Tuborg Harbour.  With its soft expression inspired by the shapes of the boats and the flowing character of the water, the building forms an integrated part of the harbour architecture in the form of a strong aesthetic with clear references to the maritime setting.  

Tuborg Harbour is a contemporary district with a mix of housing, offices and recreational activities. Whereas the commercial buildings are large, solitary domiciles and the housing features elongated, horizontal buildings.

A common trait is their precise appearance, simple geometry and the average height of five to six storeys.

The Royal Danish Yacht Club enjoys a central location with an extensive water view encircled by a system of walkways, steps and ramps, which convey the transition between the city and the harbour. 

The clubhouse is the harbour headquarters, and at just 1,000 square metres it is of a different scale than the rest of the buildings. The main architectural feature is the folded roof. It closes the building from the residential area to the south, but opens it up towards the harbour and the stunning views of Øresund. 

 With its angled fan shape, the clubhouse divides the harbour into two sections. The angled effect and the northern orientation ensure that the public restaurant offers views of the harbour through floor-to-ceiling windows. The west- and south-facing patios bathe in the late afternoon sun. 

 The fan form creates ideal shade from the southern sun and only cuts the form where entrances are needed. As you arrive through the entrance of the closed southern facade, the design offers a full view of the harbour and a peek at the sea.

 Built and covered in robust materials such as roofing felt, painted steel, glass and timber, the building is  designed to weather in the sunlight. The ‘shell’ is clad with black roofing felt with no indication of joints or  drainage. The white-painted steel profile frames the building with reference to the white-painted steel hulls of big ships. Inside, the form is wood lined similar to wooden boat decks and fittings.

‘The house gives you a sense of being on the water. In the middle of a transition between city and harbour.’

Thomas Scheel, senior partner

foster + partners anchors monaco yacht club in monte carlo

in order to offer guests and members uninterrupted race views, the fully glazed elevations can be opened up. external observation decks are shaded by retractable fabric screens, supported by masts and booms that continue the nautical theme. built on reclaimed land, the club provides for a range of craft – from sailing boats to 25-60 meter superyachts.

shops and public spaces at ground level assert the project as a community destination, while a landscaped rooftop park is bound on one side by the club’s restaurant terrace. the building is powered by renewable energy, with photovoltaic cells, solar thermal panels and sea water cooling systems designed to take advantage of the waterside location.

‘the building is a little like a city in microcosm, with schools, parks, offices, restaurants, a network of interior circulation ‘streets’ and a hierarchy of public and private, social and functional spaces. it is a continuation of monaco’s dense urban fabric, as well as the yacht club’s traditions and will be an important part of civic life. every child in monaco learns sailing at some stage during their education and those lessons will be in the new building – as a result, the yacht club will become even more rooted, in a public sense, in the principality and part of its cultural and urban fabric’ , explained lord foster.

‘with all of our projects, our approach to sustainability is to maximize the natural advantages of the local climate, while mitigating its extremes. we have also used locally sourced or recycled materials. our starting point for the yacht club was extensive analysis of the climate and the way that the different spaces are used. photovoltaic cells and solar thermal panels convert monaco’s sunshine to energy, while the sea water is used for cooling and the facades can open completely to allow natural ventilation. to provide shade in the summer, there are sail-like canopies – a reference to the nautical traditions that monaco is famous for’ , furthered nigel dancey, senior partner at foster + partners.

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Introduction

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