Prairie Park Pavilion

Prairie Park Pavilion was designed and built by third-year University of Kansas Architecture students to support the Prairie Park Nature Center's mission to promote conservation of the natural world through hands-on environmental and conservation education. Conservation and sustainability go hand in hand, and with this in mind, the shade pavilion was designed and constructed almost entirely of repurposed materials that included retired utility poles from the local power company, aluminum street signs from surrounding municipalities, and limestone seating from renovations at KU’s Memorial Stadium. The pavilion overlooks the remnant prairie, which is one of the last unaltered prairie landscapes in the region, and students took inspiration from natural patterns in the landscape during the early design phase of the project. The pavilion will host youth camps, movies, weddings, educational programming, and more.

As an aspiring architect, meeting the professionals behind the galvanizing process who help bring designs to life was a full-circle moment. It’s one thing to learn about collaboration, but another to experience it and connect with those fabricating what you’ve only envisioned. - Emma Hamer, Architecture Student

Numerous community partners donated time and materials to make the project possible, and working with the repurposed materials created many constraints and opportunities. Taper-cut utility poles were identified as the most cost-effective approach to span over the limestone seating and ADA accessible circulation aisle. However, the transition from sloping roof to columns delivered a structural load that could not be resolved at the connection between beam and column, and the introduction of knee braces to support the roof presented an opportunity to add expressive architectural features made from galvanized steel. In other locations, galvanized steel plate connections compliment the heavy timber framing with minimal disruption.

Galvanized components provided a durable and customizable element to structurally resolve the reclaimed materials, and, through the project, architecture students learned steel detailing by collaborating with engineers and fabricators and preparing components for the galvanizing process. Simply put, high-strength galvanized steel connections were the sole reason that repurposed materials could be used to create the shade pavilion.

Prairie Park Pavilion was inspired by nature and utilized repurposed construction materials to create an interactive shade structure supporting everything from summer camps to weddings

The array of aluminum street signs held up by heavy timber and galvanized steel creates shadows that playfully shift across the seating and ground

The canopy is formed by heavy timber beams support the framing and sandblasted aluminum street signs

Dynamic shadows shift and morph over the day and change with the seasons

The pavilion frames views of the adjacent prairie preserve and woodland

The roof canopy was optimized for shading and based on dimensions for commonly available street signs

The contrast of aluminum panels against timber framing surrounds the structural plate connections made from galvanized steel

Located at the edge of a wooded area, the pavilion blends the language of tree canopy with prairie horizon

Students had the opportunity to tour the galvanizing plant and witness their welded steel parts being dipped

Details

Award Class

Newly Complete

Award Sectors

Civic Contribution

Environment

Rural

Location

Lawrence, KS United States

Reasons for Galvanizing

Aesthetics, Coating Durability, Corrosion Performance, Ease of Specifying, Initial Cost, Life-Cycle Cost, Prior HDG Experience, Quality of HDG, Sustainability, Turnaround Time

Components Galvanized

Galvanized steel provided the most economical and durable method to support the repurposed wood and aluminum components that create the shade canopy. Without the use of hot-dip galvanized bolts, knee braces and plate connections, the pavilion structural design would have been difficult to resolve.

Tonnage/Size

Steel: 2
HDG: 2

Team Members

Architects

Wynn Bowden, Paige Butterfield, Naalkh DeAsis, Ashley Decker, Emily Dulle, Matthew Garrett, Emma Hamer, Sara Miranda Luzio, Christopher Monarres, Sarah Montes, Madison Simons, Alayna Thomas, Melia Whitney
University of Kansas Architecture Department

Keith Van de Riet (Studio Instructor)
University of Kansas Architecture Department

Owner

Prairie Park Nature Center
City of Lawrence Department of Parks and Recreation

Engineer

Josh Valenti, Logan Garton, Celeste Spickert
McClure Engineering

Others

Sean Reardon and Board Members
KBS Constructors, Inc

HME, Inc

Tom and Linda Cottin
Cottin's Hardware and Rental

Melanie King
Event Planner

Ben Brown and TJ Tangpuz
University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design

Doug Stephens
Douglas County Public Works

City of Lawrence Traffic Engineering

Suzan Hampton
University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design

Fabricators

Evergy Green Team
Evergy Energy

TJ and T Reyes
Advanced Tree Service

Weld Shop Crew
P1 Construction

Tim and Natalie Kelly
Masters Media Blasting

Karl Ramberg
Ramberg Stoneworks

Rick and Jotham Andrews
Coal Creek Timber Co.

Member Galvanizer(s)

AZZ Galvanizing - Kansas City

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