Dirham Yacht Club
Location: Dirham village, Läänemaa, Estonia
Year: 2008
Status: Construction documents
Size: 2,668 m² (total), incl. hotel, recreational and conference spaces
Program: Infrastructural, Hotel, Recreation
Project team: Alver Architects (Andres Alver, Tarmo Laht, Indrek Rünkla, Ulla Saar, Sven Koppel)
Description:
The yacht club planned for the village of Dirham in Northern Estonia consists of a number of spaces:
– administration of the yaht port,
– coast guard quarter,
– bar / restaurant for the visitors to the port,
– hotel rooms with adjacent conference spaces,
– shops,
– shower and service rooms for visitors,
– necessary technical rooms.
The building fits within the envelope prescribed by the master, with parking located in the south-east, outside of the lot boundaries.
The building consists of two volumes placed at an angle with each other, and connected by a gallery. The angle between the two volumes generates a coutyard open to all visitors and shielded from the sea winds. It provides entrances to the building’s different functions: hotel and sauna complex located in the south-western wing of the building, and the yaht club, conference spaces, coast guard quarters and a bar – all collected into the north-eastern wing. The usability of the courtyard during the colder / windier seasons is secured by a large movable glass door that separates the southern part of the courtyard from the terrace open to the sea on the north.
The building partially forms the border between the fenced-off port territory and the outside. Thus, functions within the building are arranged acordingly, to catter towards different users’ needs, while keeping logistics of the “inside” and the “outside” separate.
The envelope of the building, rising gradually towards the sea, culminating in a three-story cantilevering tower that boasts a spectacular view of the sea, resonates with its challenging and often un-friendly environment, providing shelter while serving as a landmark for the approaching yahts.
The main finishing materials – timber siding painted black, glass, black copper tin, and black roofing material – together leave one with an impression of a rustic and harsh black surface, covering the complex.