My final project for the Foundations portion of my Studio class was to design a pavilion on a site at Pratt. The lot we were given was 30'x30', and it abutted the Engineering Bldg, for the purposes of our hypothetical situation we said that the pavilion structure was a temporary, outdoor structure designed to be of use to all members of the Pratt community (ie not just the students, but faculty, security guards, Pratt cats etc.). Some of the pictures in the previous post were taken when I was researching the site on campus.
What I ended up building is a structure that evokes an ampitheater after an earthquake:
Because the site closely abutted the much taller Engineering Bldg. I wanted my site to be largely cut into the ground. I also thought that this would cut down on wind so that the Pratt community could use it more in chillier weather (and to light their copious cigarettes). Sidebar, Pratt is like a freaking episode of Mad Men with everyone puffing away all the time!!
At first I built a more traditional, right-angles classically inspired pavilion, but my sketchy construction quality actually saved the day as it caused a jumbled aesthetic that my professor Tetsu immediately told me to pursue.
The jumbles serve more than an aesthetic function, it also provides a number of different seating and lounging options, depending on the persons height and preferred lounging position. The travertine would warm in the sun for those, both human and otherwise, who might want to take a quick pratt cat nap.
The site can be accessed from 3 sides, but from the lawn side there is just a 10 ft drop, so I've also installed a 10 ft high glass barrier wall (which you are looking through in this image):
The only feature of the site that extends above the ground are these two monolithic stone beams that meet in an arch that I think creates a nice tension and allusion to classical columns.
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