Royal Geelong Yacht Club

Royal Geelong Yacht Club Stage 1 – Victorian Sailing School & RGYC ‘off the beach’ building

 The central Geelong waterfront is a highly visible public asset for the city and region.

It attracts both community use and visitation for a variety of recreational experiences throughout the year.

The new building hosting the Victorian Sailing School and the Off The Beach program forms stage 1 of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club’s masterplan redevelopment of their existing waterfront infrastructure, as part of the Geelong Waterfront Safe Harbour Precinct (GWSHP). The masterplan, delivered by Terroir in 2018, will provide greater public access, improved facilities and pedestrian permeability.

The new facilities enable the expansion of the “Sailability” program with partner disability organisations, providing greater opportunities for people of all abilities to benefit from participation in the sport of sailing. It also enables Victoria’s leading Sailing School to accommodate increased numbers of students from throughout the state each year and foster closer integration with the Club’s activities.

The new building speaks to the nature of the activities occurring within, and around, the site, with a large faceted ‘sail like’ roof that begins at low level, creating a human scale to the Eastern Beach Road frontage, before soaring above the boat storage hardstand, providing elevated views of the sailing activities in Corio Bay to the north.

The architectural expression is both a ‘curious object’ in a marine environment and a light and welcoming building catering to a diverse user group.