Anacostia Community Boathouse Assn.
Challenge – Quick relocation
Solution – Two Hercules Truss Arch Buildings
Size – 93′ wide x 140′ long, 55′ wide x 50′ long
Application – Temporary boathouse and meeting space
When the District of Columbia began a large-scale transportation project to replace two major bridges spanning the Anacostia River in Washington D.C., the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association (ACBA) found themselves caught in the middle, literally. As part of the project, the city had to tear down ACBA’s existing boathouse which was located between the two bridges.
Says Jennifer Ney, president of the association, “We decided on the location for the new boathouse with the city and they needed to move us quickly to prevent costly delays to the $300 million bridge project.” She continues, “Because of the rush, our temporary boathouse had to be built in a short timeframe. The biggest challenge was that the structure needed to be affordable, but large enough to accommodate our storage needs. We worked with an architect who recommended ClearSpan.” ACBA chose two Hercules Truss Arch Buildings. The larger of the two is used to store the association members’ rowing shells, canoes and kayaks.
Ney explains, “We needed a structure that would have the capacity to manage the 160 boats that belong to our members. The boats range in size from 6′ single boats to 60′ eight-man rowing shells, and the ClearSpan structure really suits our unique storage needs. The high clearance allowed us to work with a boat rack manufacturer to develop a rack system where we could stack boats seven high.” In the smaller building, the association has meeting and training space, as well as lockable storage stalls along two sides.
At their previous location, ACBA had the use of old naval buildings and were only able to store about a third of the boats inside. Ney says, “This is a huge upgrade. We are able to provide indoor storage for everyone and the facility is really comfortable, even in the summer.”
She continues, “Currently, our plans are to raise funds and begin building a permanent facility in ten years. We are quite happy with our ClearSpan structures and want to either build around or reuse them as part of the permanent facility.”
To learn more about the Anacostia Community Boathouse Association and their ClearSpan structures, visit www.AnacostiaBoathouse.org.
