lakeside kiosk
This design proposal celebrates the joy of discovery and unanticipated encounter. One of the pleasures of living in a metropolis is how we both participate in and observe the urban realm as a place of constant flux. Great cities retain an urban grain that fosters activities that remind local citizens of the excitement of being a visitor by experiencing one’s environment from a new perspective. This is the design intention for this kiosk.
As an Australian design team, our overriding impression of Chicago is of the incredible juxtaposition between the horizontal plane of the lake and the dramatic verticality of the city centre. This condition resonates with many of our cities and is intrinsic to our own architectural milieu.
The form of the kiosk creates an oblique condition: it is neither an extruded vertical or horizontal plane. It creates shelter from landscape.
The pavilion provides new ways of engaging with the immediate context over time. Cyclical transitions between trading hours, day and night, and the four seasons are the catalysts for change: kiosk to café; busking stage to outdoor cinema; rain shelter to snow berm. The kiosk is comprised of a series of mobile joinery units and loose furniture that can be easily wheeled into place under the cover of the cantilever and then locked away when not in use.
The climatic variables of wind, light, water and snow are also harnessed to animate the structure. A perforated pattern is cut into the cladding panels to create a variegated pattern of light and shadow over the floor and stairs. The holes are positioned to maintain rain-cover over the main kiosk area while in operation.
The building has been designed for ease and speed of onsite construction. The structure comprises four main prefabricated components – two wall trusses, bleacher roof and floor – which can be transported by truck, craned into place and mechanically fixed together as a freestanding object. A rigid connection between floor and wall trusses means the cantilever does not require anchoring foundations. The raised floor allows for easy reticulation of electrical or hydraulic services. It is possible to integrate photo voltaic cells and water collection facilities into the project to effectively create a self-sustaining building.
This design proposal celebrates the joy of discovery and unanticipated encounter. One of the pleasures of living in a metropolis is how we both participate in and observe the urban realm as a place of constant flux. Great cities retain an urban grain that fosters activities that remind local citizens of the excitement of being a visitor by experiencing one’s environment from a new perspective. This is the design intention for this kiosk.
Project Team: Andrew Simpson, Michael Barraclough, Emma Parkinson, Ryan Bate, Samantha Mikolajczak, Jason Pitts