Location: Edmonton, AB
Architects: gh3 Architecture
Date of completion: 2014
OAA Awards 2016 Design Excellence Finalist

The result of an international design competition held by the City of Edmonton in 2011, this amenity pavilion provides essential park services in an elegant and playful structure. The pavilion is part of a larger revitalization program updating this 100 year old park which has been home to everything from Edmonton’s first zoo to amusement park rides such as carousels and a roller coaster. The pavilion’s circular form and expressive timber truss structure echo this playful history, evoking the whimsical qualities of a child’s toy drum and the merry-go-round that once occupied the park.

Drawing Courtesy of gh3 Architecture

The primary functions of the amenity pavilion, including washrooms and staff rooms, are confined to the core of the building, allowing a complete 360 degree promenade around the perimeter to maximize year round engagement with the park and landscape. The skin, composed of triangulated floor-to-ceiling glazing, is highly reflective during the day, mirroring the immediate landscape and dissolving the building into its surroundings. From the inside, the glazing provides captivating panoramic views out from the pavilion while blurring the boundary between interior and exterior space.

Photo Courtesy of gh3 Architecture

The cheerful and elegant Borden Park pavilion demonstrates that infrastructural needs, such as park amenity buildings, are also opportunities to create moments of delight.

To view the complete submission, including additional drawings and images, please click here.

Photo Courtesy of gh3 Architecture

This post (2/20) is part of the OAA Awards 2016 Design Excellence Finalists blOAAg series celebrating the best of Ontario architecture. Every day during the month of March we will be posting a new finalist. You can view all posts by clicking here. Winners will be announced April 1, 2016.