AGL Lakeside Pavilion

Sydney, Australia

Add To Collection

AGL Lakeside Pavilion

Sydney, Australia

Firm

Kennedy Associates Architects

Type

Cultural › Pavilion

YEAR

2013

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$100K - 500K

Photos

Carlos Vicente Castro (2)

The "Raw Australian Shed" by Kennedy Associates Architects has been shortlisted in the 2014 World Architecture Festival Awards for the AGL Lakeside Pavilion at the Australian Botanic Garden in Sydney.

Drawing together two highly symbolic concepts: the semi-permanent theatrical marquee and the more permanent vernacular shed, this project is a generous building that inspires and lifts its users.

Built almost entirely out of steel for maximum effect and to keep to a modest budget — it’s a building where nothing is hidden, nothing is covered, and nothing is painted.

The pavilion sits atop a hill overlooking a lake and forms the centerpiece of the Mt Annan public facilities. It is designed to hold up to 200 people and to strike a balance between being intimate enough for small casual events to catering for big events.

Designed very much in the tradition of a landscape follie, the building is deliberately heroic and it loudly proclaims its presence in the landscape.

Approached from afar it feels like an event to visit this structure. It draws you in, makes you welcome, and invites further exploration of the garden. The building’s dramatic hilltop location brings order and identity to the surrounding context, delivering sweeping views of the garden and lake.

Entered at its center and catering for a wide range of uses, from a pit stop to a wedding or a wake, the pavilion strikes a balance between being intimate enough for small casual visits and large enough for big events.

The program is simple, and is achieved with a minimum of means, maximum of effect, and modest budget.

The main space (shed) provides shelter and the main gathering space; a secondary space (verandah) provides entry; and the tanks at the rear provide toilets and water storage to help anchor the building to its site.

The rhythm of columns, roof planes, screening, and structural geometries creates a flexible series of spaces that tie the building to its site. The slenderness of the roof, which is pitched in three directions, enhances the tent-like character of the pavilion, drawing the lowest point to the building’s center and pushing out to the views.

The structural economies offered by steel allow for a wall and cross-brace free design. Beams are allowed to do what they need to do, and joints are clear, exposed, and celebrated. Everything is allowed to be visible and to participate in the making of the space.

The 20-foot-high columns are ’enclosed’ by the high-level recycled plastic screens and flying roofs. The screens filter the sun, balance the height, and frame the views, providing human scale, delicacy, and light.

Materials were all chosen for their resource efficiency, recyclability, long life span, minimal maintenance, and ability to age well. The materials are also all used without further embellishment or treatment. The interplay of shadows and textures creates a warmth that transcends their apparent harshness.

The interplay of structure, screens, and roofs give the building its spatial generosity, 3D character and conceptual clarity, while defining the building’s strength and beauty.

It’s a generous and uplifting building that reflects the clients agenda for the creation of a garden that is valued as much for its beauty and contribution to the cultural and public domain, as much as it is valued for its botanical achievements.