One pavilion I found myself liking a fair bit is the CentrePlace Manitoba located in downtown "live site".It is a prefabricated structure by Cibinel Architects. Besides the obvious effort to make it look like a considered piece of architecture but being a little rough around the edges, it had both a strong overall concept and some fun detailing. Although it is built with budget materials, it makes a tonne of impact - and it does not do so at the expense of pavilion's exhibition content.
Certain elements are worth pointing out in case the pictures are not easy to read:
- solid wood benches in the front creating a much needed rest/waiting area that doubles as a ramp
- tall pivot door that seemed to make the pavilion quite open to the outside
- the rotating projections on the translucent wall worked wall with its curve
- translucent walls were a great choice - the lighting was great
- reclaimed wood and recyclable translucent panels
Another notable fact - it cost $2.3 million. While that seems like a fair bit, compare it to others - Saskatchewan's 4.1 million(a sphere and a tent), Aboriginal Pavilion's six million(a sphere and a building), Canada's $10.4 million (neither tent nor building - something in between). Of course, just a part of cost of each went towards the buildings that house the content. It is certainly interesting to see who chooses to let architecture play a role in the representation of their province/region/culture/etc. and how large a role that is.
And to continue the train of thought from the previous pavilion - this one embodies the typology of "pavilion" quite well. Simple, special, light, prefabricate/temporary, etc.
Some pictures:
The back room is has an exhibit on the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Here is the model:
These are rendering and construction photos - all via Cibinel Architects website:
In the evening the pavilion comes fairly close to the rendering.Overall, great job of a pavilion - kudos to letting architecture be part of your exhibit both outside and inside!