Pavillon in Park

Pavillon im Park

The Pavillon Himmelsschatten emerges at the intersection of the city’s urban life, offering visitors a sensory experience of a special kind that invites them to linger and enjoy, away from the hectic pace of everyday life. Following the topographic lines of the building and the flow of passing pedestrians, the pavilion opens up to visitors beneath its expansive, far-reaching roof. At the intersections of these movement lines, a central meeting point emerges — a distinctive place of calm with an unobstructed view of the surrounding park.

Inside, the planned cafeteria offers an appealing culinary program; all required functions are meaningfully integrated into the spatial arrangement. The structure is clear in its geometry and simple in its construction. A surprising shift in perspective is created by the intentionally transparent covering above: the freely spanning membrane surface draws the gaze upward into the calm movement of the sky, its stars, and its visitors — an intimate yet open place, one that is both animated and deeply calm.

The floors are a modeled continuation of the natural topography; as differentiated concrete surfaces, they unite both the outdoor and indoor areas in terms of aesthetics and usability. The building is organized into two parts: the inner pavilion, housing the central cafeteria function, with transparent steel-and-glass elements on its façades and opaque ancillary spaces, and the connecting timber roof, which acts as an umbrella-like mediator between the pavilion and the surrounding urban parkland.

The “open” roof is formed by an air-supported, three-layer ETFE membrane cushion, fully transparent, which intermittently opens the visitor’s view up to the sky. Prefabricated glue-laminated timber system beams are adapted into an amorphous roof structure by means of corner connectors. The natural material of wood is found in harmonious combination with the cool metal surfaces of the fixtures and the robust concrete surfaces of the floor.