Whatcom Rowing Association was established as a recreational and competitive club in 2011. However, community leader and rower, Bob Diehl, wanted to give the entire community the chance to experience the cooperation, work ethic, and excitement of rowing. For that, he not only needed more boats, but a place to put them. So began the idea to build Whatcom Rowing Association’s new boathouse.
RMC’s design for this pro bono project used mostly donated materials to maintain a tight budget for the community-oriented facility. Thoughtful placing of glulam beams and windows create a pleasing interior pattern. Keeping both the vision and materials simple—metal monosloped roof, natural lighting from above, standard dimensional lumber—resulted in a delightful space for this wonderful program whose popularity has soared since the project opened.