Existing Site

Industrial District

Agricultural Vernacular

Carve Openings

Elongate

Cover Porches

Game Fields

Second Floor

First Floor

Library and Quiet Work Space

The library space is perfect for older students coming for after school care. It gives a quiet, dedicated work area for homework and other projects. It creates a sense of calm after a long day of school. This space can also be accessed by older teens from the community to do their homework, college applications, or any other activities that need dedicated focus time.

The curtain wall leads to a large exterior porch. This is used as an extension of the library, connecting the children back to the nature. The covered porch is well ventilated and shaded, creating a comfortable working environment.

Entry Atrium

After the children are checked in through the reception desk, they are greeted by a large, open atrium. There is stadium style seating set into the stairs leading to the second floor. Considering this is a summer camp, having a space to get all of the students together to focus before going to activities is integral.

This large open space also creates a high level of flexibility for the staff. Large community events can take place here. When it is raining outside but the students need to release some energy, laps can be ran around the room and under the stairs. It creates a warm, welcoming, multi-functional space, essential to this kind of project.

Structure

Pinch Point Pavilion

Spring 2023

Arch 209

Professor Shannon Criss

Sketchup, Enscape, Adobe Suite

Riverfront Park, Lawrence, KS

When walking through Riverfront Park, I was often drawn to remnants of previous visitors on the park. Bits of colorful shining glass, spray-painted declarations of love, and carvings into trees stuck out to me. The juxtaposition between human interaction and the interweaving tree branches overhead was beautiful to me, rather than careless as many others saw it.

For this pavilion project, I aimed to connect the freeform, organic eccentricity one finds in nature with the harsher, unnatural forms people have created for a millenium. I began with firm, inorganic box nestled into the trees. I then experiemented with cut-outs, representative of the feeling of looking up at the light peeking through the leaves. It is wide and open with benches along the sides, allowing it to be used as a relaxed seating area, but still allowing traffic through.

When considering where to place a pavilion in the park, I had to visit it several times to get a real understanding of the trails and hidden nooks. It wasn’t until I went by myself for a quiet, contemplative walk that I found the perfect spot. Through the park are numerous disc golf challenges, carving out spaces amongst the trees. One goal was right off the main path, hidden away. What drew me to it, though, was a pinch point connecting to a large open field and 2 other paths. It was off the beaten path, but not so far that new visitors could not find it. This pinch point is where I began.

Vertical Wood

Harsh, Human Forms

Random Cut Outs

Sight Lines

The majority of the cut outs at eye level when sitting and standing, giving the most interaction with the nature.

Buildability

With a simple system made of easily available parts, this pavilion can be easily assembled through a series of 2”x12” and 2”x4” boards.

Structure

Every board with a cut has at least 2 connections to lateral supports. The loads from these lateral supports are carried down by the 3 solid boards.