§ 01 — THE DOCK
Loops Welded Into Steel, Services Running to Shore
The dock on the Lantern Boathouse is long. Getting electrical, plumbing, and mechanical off the boathouse and back to shore over that distance required something deliberate — so we worked with Scott Custom Building and the steel fabricator to weld loops into the underside of the dock structure. Those loops carry the mechanical bundle off the building and thread it back to the service connection on shore. It’s the kind of detail that’s invisible once it’s done and irreversible if you don’t plan for it early.
The contractor also built a full temporary scaffold and dock around the outside of the boathouse during construction — a perimeter staging system that let the whole team work safely over the water.
§ 02 — THE FRAME
No Columns. One Rigid System Holding Everything Together.
Inside the boat slips of the Lantern Boathouse, there are no columns. None. DK Studio engineered a rigid frame that spans the full width — posts rise on the sides, beams cross the ceiling, and the whole roof structure acts as a single system. That same frame holds up the cantilever on the west end and braces the curtain wall above. Every element is working together.
Snowetta and DK Studio’s Nick and his team spent real time arriving at that system. It’s the reason we can have two open slips, a full second floor, and a projecting deck without a single interior support interrupting the space.
§ 03 · THE TOUR
Walk the Lantern Boathouse as the Structure Goes Up
A full site walkthrough from dock level through the second floor — slips, cantilever, curtain wall, and the Kabony siding mock-up starting on the exterior. About eight minutes.
§ 04 — THE CANTILEVER
Steel Piles Out, Then Gone — The Deck Hangs on Its Own
On the west end of the Lantern Boathouse, the deck projects out over the water with no permanent structure below. Two steel piles visible during construction are temporary — support for the build only. Once the building is complete, they come out. The cantilever is self-supporting through the rigid frame above.
Upstairs, the curtain wall is going in through Division 8. We pressed for the slimmest column possible at the midpoint to keep the view of Little Lake Joe as uninterrupted as possible. Fireplace King in Huntsville is supplying a focused fireplace unit that hangs from the ceiling — no floor base, no hearth, just fire over the lake.
§ 05 — THE THROUGH-LINE
Snowetta’s Geometry, Realized in Steel and Glass
The Lantern Boathouse is designed to disappear into its place and announce itself at the same time. The Kabony cladding will weather into the landscape. The curtain wall will throw the lake back at you. The rigid frame makes both of those things possible — it’s the reason the walls can open, the deck can hang, and the roof can carry wood siding without anything breaking. Snowetta set the intent. DK Studio made it structural. Scott Custom Building and Kenora Bay are making it real.
