PEARL PAVILION BARANGAROO

Shortlisted in top third of 173 entries.

The design brief calls for a public event space in Barangaroo South; a place of interest and gathering that invites visitors to sit down and recline in its shade on a hot Sydney day. It is important to maintain views across the precinct, shield the space from southern cold winds, block the strong western sun.

The Pavilion responds to all the above requirements with an elegant organic-shaped canopy held aloft by numerous slender columns and a raised seating bank below it. An oculus, like a pearl in mollusc shell, is positioned above a circular well in the seating bank and the pier, piercing through these structures and connecting harbour water with the sky above. The disc of sunlight moves over the rough stone seating bank surface on a sunny day and helps rainwater to reconnect with the harbour in a series of spectacular cascades.

The canopy offers shade and weather protection and returns stormwater directly to the harbour. The seating bank ameliorates westerly winds and strong westerly sun whilst demarcating the event space and creating a sense of enclosure, shelter, safety.

Paying homage to the existing materiality and history of the site, The Pavilion utilises many materials already found in the surroundings. The rough-hewn sandstone blocks of the Cove are extended and laid over the retained paving of the pier, creating a podium with seating for everyone to enjoy. Storage can be provided within the volume of the seating bank for loose event furniture and permanent services.

The Pavilion stands as the southern marker to Watermans Cove linking across the water to the mature tree located to the north. The canopy reflects curvilinear forms of the neighbouring architecture whereas the raised seating bank is a continuation of the geometries present on site, generated by the arc of Watermans Cove to the straight edge to the ferry wharf area, and reflects the rough nature of stone and recycled timber used along Wulugul Walk. A sharp junction of seating tiers creates a sculptural form that reveals itself slowly when approached from the south.

The star of the show, the canopy, has two contrasting aspects. Its shell-like top surface is covered in recycled timber shingles, echoing the rough industrial look of Wulgul Walk. The irregular profiled top edge will provide a shape shifting object of interest when viewed from the various viewing angles as a person follows the timber boardwalk along the water’s edge. The underside of the canopy is the exact opposite: elegant matt gold sheen, an organic curve capturing water reflections on its glamorous underside

Architect: STUKEL ARCHITECTURE

Team:  DANIEL STUKEL BEASLY, JARROD PHILLIPS, GOSIA ANTONISZYN, LEXIE ADAMS, ELLA LEHMANN

Client: NSW Government

Barangaroo, Sydney, NSW
National Competition 2020

Project Number: 2022