LIST OF DESIGN PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED
-How to orient the pavilion in the park
-How to take advantage of the sun to create warmth, natural lighting, and beautiful lighting effects while still filtering and shading it to prevent glare
-How can a visitor to the park clearly find their way to the pavilion in the park or even know that one is there
-How to create an area for people to seek refuge while watching others skate or ski
-How to make the skate change area an open, inviting room - maximizing seating area while minimizing congestion
-How to integrate site lighting into the pavilion to enliven the site during the long evening hours of the winter months
-How to create a durable building for the park that can be afford ably built while still allowing for delight
-How to house a large amount of program on the restricted site-bounding box in an elegant way
-How to separate and integrate two major types of users; the general public and specific user groups; how to allow them to interact but also to provide some spatial separation
-How to make the pavilion equally relevant and usable during the winter and summer months
-How to make the training room a wonderful space for athletes to train and keep motivated since stationary cycling is fairly boring
RATIONALE FOR THE RESOLUTION OF THE DESIGN PROBLEMS
- The pavilion was oriented parallel to the river valley, and to the south facing sun. To have the pavilion run at some angle other than parallel to this axis makes the pavilion's siting seem random and would not be the correct urban response.
- A long slim building was conceived to evoke a sense of motion. The design allows good flow of circulation through the main corridor. People can sit on the bench facing towards the corridor or the view. The user can move through the pavilion's corridor, in through one end and out towards the skating rink at the other.
- The form of the pavilion allows for overhangs on the upper and lower floor that will shade the large windows in the summer and allow the winter sun to penetrate the plan. The westward positioned stair and the slatted wall above it on the second floor will shade the windows from the lower angled late-day sun to prevent solar gain and glare.
- The pavilion was envisioned as a two-storey structure to solve a few of the design problems relevant to this project.
a) The pavilion's upper floor would be seen from the street (and the parking lot) as sliding along the forest like a tree house. This will allow the visitor to know of the pavilion's presence from the parking lot. An Edmontonian who drives along the River Valley Road will also be aware of its existence.
b) The second storey offers a great opportunity to create a look-off overlooking the immediate site, the High Level Bridge, and the North Saskatchewan River. The Look-Off could become a popular destination in Edmonton.
c) The second storey allows the pavilion to be more compact on the site and have a rational plan.
d) Each user group type can occupy one storey of the program - all the service portion of the program runs in the black box at the back of the corridor. The corridor on the lower level is the "public" level that allows for ski waxing, skate changing, viewing of ice skating participants by parents and friends, food and beverage concessions and vending. The upper floor contains the office, the multi-purpose teaching room, and the training room.
f) The training room has a great panoramic view overlooking the oval, the river and beyond. They also have a direct view out to the deck where people will be walking by. These distractions can keep boredom at bay while stationary biking. This also gives the general public an opportunity to see the athletes training (from the deck of the look-off) so that they may gain an appreciation for the training involved. It could help promote the sport to young athletes by allowing them to have an interface with the athletes in training.
(From competitor's text)
Victoria Park proved to be one of the most difficult for the jury. There were many appealing submissions but most were deemed to be over the budget and difficult to pare down. This submission won the first award because it is elegant and straightforward. It will serve the park well in all four seasons. With careful design, it can probably be constructed within the budget. The jury liked the second level observation deck. The building will be warm and friendly.
(From jury report)
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