Interactive Pavilion Lets You Create Zen Patterns With Solar Power - Yanko Design

"Pavilions have always held a special place in architecture, haven't they? These simple structures promise respite from the world, offering shade, shelter, and a moment to pause in our increasingly hectic daily lives. Japanese sand gardens operate on similar principles, inviting contemplation through the meditative act of raking patterns into carefully prepared gravel. Michael Jantzen's Interactive Circular Pattern Forming Pavilion takes both concepts and merges them into something genuinely unprecedented in contemporary architecture."

"Most pavilions are static by nature, beautiful but unchanging structures that provide the same experience day after day for every visitor who encounters them. Jantzen's creation challenges this fundamental assumption by making the pavilion itself an active participant in shaping its surrounding landscape through innovative mechanical systems. The circular structure features concentric composite cement rings radiating outward from a central solar array, creating natural shade while powering the entire interactive system through clean, renewable energy."

"Eight painted steel columns support the layered roof, which houses a large disc-shaped solar light suspended above a communal table and bench seating arrangement for visitors. The real magic happens in the space between the central pavilion and the outer perimeter wall, where fine white gravel becomes the canvas for an endless series of evolving patterns. A narrow footbridge mounted on steel rails can rotate around the entire structure, powered by solar-driven gear motors that move at variable speeds."

Michael Jantzen's Interactive Circular Pattern Forming Pavilion combines pavilion design with Japanese sand garden principles to create a kinetic, solar-powered contemplative space. Concentric composite cement rings radiate from a central solar array, providing shade while powering the installation. Eight painted steel columns support a layered roof that houses a disc-shaped solar light above communal seating. Fine white gravel between the pavilion and the outer perimeter serves as a shifting canvas. A narrow footbridge on steel rails rotates around the structure via solar-driven gear motors. Thirteen adjustable rods and tubes attach to the bridge and drag through the gravel; resulting patterns depend entirely on user-controlled rotation speed, rod positioning, and movement.

Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News