01 | Pavillion

A 20,000 square-foot open-air pavilion with an intentionally open program, this project explores the usage of the 'Square' and how its reflection and shifting can create self-similar, yet experientially differing spaces. I developed a proportional system of "square roots" to establish scale, while the 'Square' itself is the building block of the massing as a whole. Intentionally sunk into the topography of its South Berkeley site, shifting in plan creates a zig-zag along the main axes of travel through the site, and crossover circulation methods allow the user to interact with the structure and surrounding cityscape at different elevations. Its North-South orientation permits ample natural light to penetrate into the lower gathering spaces, while further shifting in the roof plates shield the inside from direct Southernly sun. The grain of the structural beam matrix matches that of the shifting technique in plan, whereas in section the grain of experiential movement is followed. These moves create a heavy yet open form, and allows what initially appears to be a simple, symmetrical form to reveal carefully-calibrated site-specific complexities, all deriving from the 'Square'.