The Four Friends Pavilion
The Four Friends Pavilion is a functional art structure designed as a special place in and around which four friends can gather together and relax in the open air with little threat from the Corona Virus. The majority of the structure is made of sustainable grown wood and colored with eco-friendly paint. It consists of two sections both designed to provide shaded places to sit. The form of one section is derived from a large fragmented cube where five faces of the it have been subdivided and folded open, creating a dynamic interior and exterior space. The sixth face of the cube functions as the floor that has two benches mounted onto it on two sides facing each other. The entire structure is clad with slotted boards.
The other section of the pavilion is joined to the first with a long platform. Its form is a simple contrasting open rectangle consisting of two vertical walls and a roof. Both the walls and roof are also clad with slotted boards that provide shade for the space underneath. This section of the Four Friends Pavilion was designed as a place to eat, with a large dining table and seats built into the space. There is a large solar panel mounted onto the roof that provides electricity for nighttime lighting, and for a large ceiling fan mounted above the center of the dinning table.
In addition to the openness of the pavilions design, certain dimensions of it were established in order to comply with the standard social distancing recommendations now used to maintain a reasonable degree of safety, in light of the Corona Virus Pandemic. These dimensions were primarily used to determine the appropriate social distancing seating locations.
In addition to the functionality of the Four Friends Pavilion, the aesthetics of the design attempt to create an unexpected exciting place to retreat to with a few friends, during this unprecedented stressful time in which we all now live.
Status: Built
Location: Santa Fe, NM, US
