The Gatling Pointe Yacht Club was conceived by The Planning & Design Collaborative, Inc. (Richmond, Virginia) as the centerpiece of a new 500-home, riverside community in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Sited between a grove of pines and the Pagan River, Gatling Pointe includes a 2,900-squarefoot clubhouse, outdoor pool with bathhouse, tennis and volleyball courts, playground, a fishing pier, and deep water marina.

The clubhouse and bathhouse are sheathed in grey shingles and topped with aluminum roofing, common architectural materials in the Chesapeake Bay area. The footprint of the clubhouse is asymmetrical, giving the impression that the building was added to over successive generations. Dormer windows, also part of the regional vernacular, are here employed atop the clubhouse to break up the expanse of the roof; what appears as a second story is actually a "stage set."

Lounge areas are located at one end of the clubhouse while the dining room runs the length of the building. Pine flooring is used in this expansive, openplan space to provide design continuity. Furnishings in the lounge are arranged in two seating groups beneath identical chandeliers. One group faces a fireplace, the other large windows overlooking the river Natural and painted wicker chairs, overstuffed sofas, and braided rugs create a relaxed, comfortable, and timeless feeling, says Tamara J. Privitera, project interior designer. Doors at each end of the lounge area provide access to a wraparound porch, which is painted white like the other wood trim.

The 45-seat dining room, furnished with wicker and hardwood seating, features a seven-seat bar set below a series of stained glass panels depicting sailboats and positions of the sun and moon. These panels, like the navigational charts, ship models, and other maritime accessories found in the clubhouse, reinforce the waterfront theme.

Comfortable furnishings and a fireplace welcome patrons in the lounge (opposite). Chandeliers, floor lamps: Arte de Mexico. Loveseat, slipper chairs: Shelby Williams. Coffee table: Niermann Weeks. Wicker lounge chair (left), wicker rocker: Palacek. Table behind sofa: Natural Selections. Sofa: Schiller Furniture Manufacturing. Rattan lounge chairs: Hospitality Furniture Co. Fireplace accessories: Stone County Ironworks. Table lamp: Chapman Manufacturing. Toucan, wood conch shells: International Image Makers, Inc. Pillow fabric: Berger Co. Painting over mantel: Cuda

At the far end of the dining room, a snack bar serves patrons inside as well as those using the pool and marina. A separate entrance from the pool keeps wet bathers out of other club areas. Kitchen, office, storage, and restroom facilities complete the floor plan.

In bestowing the award, the jury cited the Galling Pointe Yacht Club, completed at a total cost of $366,500, for its "sense of history and definite personality."
-John P Radulski

Windows along both sides of the dining room (right) allow panoramic views toward the Chesapeake Bay. Chandeliers: Arte de Mexico. Long dining table, bar stools: Garcia Imports. Wicker chairs: Palacek, with Duralee seat cushion fabric. Wood table tops: Clapper's Industries. Table bases: Kings River Castings. Life buoy, sailboat model: Martha's Mixture, Ltd. Navigation charts: Virginia Reproduction & Supply. Stained glass panels: Designed by Tamara J. Privitera, fabricated by Arthur Miller Studios. Brass foot rail: Brass Smitiy Inc.

THE PLANNING & DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
Richmond, Virginia
Tamara J. Privitera
The Planning & Design Collaborative, Inc. was organized in 1981 primarily to work with developers of large-scaled residential communities. The eight-member staff has provided land planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design services for projects in the United States, the Caribbean, and the Far East.

"LIKE A FAMILY HOME, WITH PIECES ADDED OVER THE YEARS"