A Natural Pavilion Amidst a Gathering of Artists

The goal for this project was to design a pavilion using recycled poplar wood for First Friday, a local art event in downtown Scranton, PA.  This pavilion would then be placed on Courthouse Square, the center of the event gathering. 

Our team decided to place the pavilion along Spruce Street on the south side of Courthouse Square.  This would allow the pavilion to interact with the concentration of shops while providing a beacon directly across a main parking lot for the event.  A design goal was to find a way for the pavilion to span the sidewalk.  This would encourage movement into and through the pavilion while inviting people onto Courthouse Square.

Our solution to span the sidewalk with our design came  through the formal solution of bending and wrapping wood into hollow columns.  By cutting thousands of strips of wood from the recycled poplar, we formed columns with tops that connected to each other and create a contained space within the forms.

To construct the columns, a variety of different sizes of wood were used.  After extensive testing, the following sizes were determined necessary:
  1) 3/16” x 3/4” for vertical support
  2) 1/8” x 3/4” to bind the vertical peices together
  3)1/8” x 1 5/8” also bind vertical pieces together
  4)1/16” x 1/5/8” for visual mass and additional support

A strong thunderstorm inevitably  doomed the pavilion to destruction.  However, with the passing of the storm, something entirely new came out of the design.  The rain event combined with the yellowish light of a nearby lamp created a new sculptural piece.