Urban Pavilion

The gradual relaxation of public containment measures throughout the world following the most dangerous period of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a renewed appreciation of the role of public spaces. As we began to see a cautious return to the public sphere and away from virtual encounters, this pavilion proposal facilitated a new kind of social interaction that would enable visitors to safely congregate once again in public.

Visitors would sit around the concentric ring of the pavilion, facing outwards, close to each other yet still socially distanced by structural elements of the pavilion itself; by looking upwards from their seats, a mirrored panel reflected what is going on inside the pavilion, behind the audience. This panel would function as an analogue screen, a device that served as a reminder of our virtual lives under lockdown measures, while also providing a joyful invitation to public life and spontaneous meetings. By enabling visitors to engage with a reflection of the activities taking place within the pavilion, this proposal created a site for a re-evaluation of public spaces, allowing us to re-appreciate the joy of real-life encounters.

Openings into the pavilion centre are directly perpendicular to the entrance to the Sala de Cultura. Outward-facing seating on the perimeter of the pavilion invites visitors to relax and engage with the life of the Plaza Escuelas Trevijano, and by looking up from their seats, an angled mirror periscopically reflects the centre of the pavilion. The pavilion is built from concentrically slotted flat Garnica panels (types A and B) and one mirrored panel (C1), creating a self-supporting and stable pavilion that is quick to assemble and easily-adaptable.

Location: Logroño, Spain
Phase: Competition entry
Date: 2021