Galveston Bay Pavilion: with The Gulf Coast Design Lab

The stakeholder asked that the design be architecturally inspiring and reflect their aspirations of making the bay a better place for the seven million people who live in the surrounding area. We selected the name SHIFT because each plane of the project shifts from its accustomed location and was created as a symbol of the experience they wanted to bring. In disaster-stricken areas, students and children become traumatized by water. This pavilion serves as a way for them to move out of their comfort zones and shift into a different mindset. Screens slip away from the deck and don’t engage its edges. Portions of the structural frame slide past the deck and into the lawn. The roof shifts out over the lawn and covers both raised deck and the grass, and as one moves throughout the project, views through the screens shift. Finally, even the metal screens themselves shift over time. As they patina, their color will change, and the pavilion, will change alongside the students who inhabit it.