The new facility will provide a boat storage area, gym, showers, toilets and office accommodation.

The steel-frame building will feature red brickwork and trapezoidal wall cladding and oriented strand board internal linings to echo the laminated timber structure of the boat hulls.

St Andrew Boat Club is the oldest open amateur rowing club in Scotland and is celebrating its 175th Anniversary in 2021. Based at Meggetland, the club trains predominantly on the 1500m stretch of the Union Canal.  St Andrew has produced many international class athletes, with representations at Home Internationals, Commonwealth and Olympic Regattas. The club has a strong community focus and runs several courses a year for juniors and adults to Learn to Row. 

Sarah Whitley, president of St Andrew Boat Club, said: “We at St Andrew Boat Club are excited to get our boathouse build underway - we have been working towards this moment for a decade. The building will allow us to have our own social and training space and allow us to accommodate more boats - and therefore more rowers. It will also expand our reach and offer even more ‘Rowing for All’ opportunities locally.”

David Ralph, project architect at GLM, said: “It has been a privilege to contribute to the legacy of the oldest open amateur rowing club in Scotland working to encourage and inspire future athletes and outdoor enthusiasts while bringing sharp insight and imaginative design to this boat house. I look forward to seeing the spaces complete and launching boats very soon.”

John Aitchison, Maxi Construction’s managing director, added: “At Maxi Construction we pride ourselves in delivering all types of projects including the more unusual ones, such as building a boathouse alongside the Union Canal. We’re looking forward to delivering a fantastic facility for our client, in conjunction with the project team.”

The project team includes architect/principal designer GLM and structural engineer Elliott & Company.