The pavilion’s first floor viewing
gallery is designed to be as
unobtrusive, transparent and delicate
as possible. Initially a second floor was
difficult to gain approval for, due to
concerns with mass and scale. With
persistence, a scheme with a delicate
slim butterfly roof floating above the
largely glazed first floor was approved,
reducing the building mass and
creating covered outdoor space.
Vandalism is a problem in this area
and both the materials and structure
have been mindfully designed. All
glazing at ground floor can be secured
at night through finely detailed,
sliding mesh shutters which slide into
recessed brick pockets. At night, the
perforated finish allows the building
to subtly glow, helping to improve
lighting along the public footpath.
The concept for the building is
reinforced through the materials
specified and are in many cases rare
in UK public buildings of this scale.
For example, the bricks are Danish
handmade clay bricks, much longer
than a standard UK brick and half as
high, helping the building appear to sit
lower and longer.
The interior is deliberately utilitarian,
designed to be hard wearing and
enduring, whilst softened with
plywood lining, ash floors, a
wonderfully tactile cast concrete
exposed roof and colourful furnishings.
The multifunctioning space of the
pavilion is used on a regular basis for
many different functions including
art classes, playwright workshops and
fitness groups, the use of this space
has been tremendous.
The vision was to create a truly
beautiful public building, injecting new
life into this troubled areas, improve
community engagement and in this
instance, access to sport. The goal was
to achieve membership base of 200
after three years, since completion the
club now has over 400 active members.
101
The Pavilion has had a positive impact
on the health and wellbeing of local
people and the urban realm.
Images Richard Chivers
www.padstudio.co.uk