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Beware landlubbers; you’ll need sea legs to board a floating office space docked in Penryn, UK. This innovative approach to an office expansion, designed for business space developer RobotMother, is the creation of Michael Hormann and Marraum Architecture, who transformed a World War II ferrocement barge into an efficient workspace that’s moored adjacent to Jubilee Wharf.
“Jubilee Wharf itself is a landmark building because of its sustainable construction, as well as its appearance and function,” says Hormann, a director and architect at Marraum. “It was very important to create a building that would fit into the context. Much of the inspiration came from the location, which I tried to reflect in the space, the atmosphere, and the views of the barge.”
Marraum Architecture designed the interior of the 85x22 foot barge to be a relaxing office space, allowing for natural light and beautiful ocean views while still retaining privacy. “It’s difficult to put into words the distinctive design; you have to see it to understand,” Hormann said.
Though this project required the exploration of uncharted territory for Marraum Architecture, designing outside the box is the norm for Hormann. “I have always been interested in unusual structures and working in different fields. In fact, I previously worked for Baumraum, a tree house architecture firm in Germany, as well as the artist Anthony Garratt on four outdoor painting stands located on Tresco Island, one of the Isles of Scilly.”
Hormann designed the barge with Vectorworks software. “Without Vectorworks, communication would have been much more difficult between the client and the construction team.”
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