Floating Office

• Location: Penryn
• Architect: Michael Hormann, Märraum
• Completion date: 12th June 2015

Where most people saw a derelict WW II concrete barge, Robotmother, developers of the unique Jubilee Wharf community project in Penryn, saw the opportunity to design a unique space that could accommodate every element of its Jubilee Wharf business – from maintenance rooms to bunking space for visiting bands and a mezzanine level office space.

Robotmother engaged Architect Michael Hormann of Märraum to design the structure to build on the concrete base.

The structure, based around a steel frame, needed to be lightweight and very well insulated. The design has to follow the irregular shape of the original barge, while the contemporary aesthetic includes further geometric shapes in the roofline.

Flexibility was the main factor for the design process, always keeping in mind that the client wished to have a high quality office environment.

Originally, rigid PIR foam insulation was specified to provide the high quality thermal insulation required for this exposed location. It soon became apparent that this option would not entertain the roof’s jagged roof line and walls of varying depths. The results would have been gaps in the shell structure causing a serious condensation problem.

Michael Hormann from Märraum recognised this and switched the specification to WALLTITE®.

• Download PDF of case study: Penryn Offices