Perry County’s recreational park had been closed to the public since the 1970s. Situated on the Cahaba River and an oxbow lake, the landscape had been untouched for these 30 years. The old picnic area was given new life with a pavilion, which acts as an outdoor classroom, family gathering space, and festival area. The flooding landscape demanded a durable response to materials. Cedar trees were cut down from a local thicket and the timber was cut into boards and used for the pavilion floor. The cedar was also used to form the concrete footings and as chips around the pavilion to repel mosquitoes. Sheets of aluminum were used on both the upper and undersides of the dramatically rising roof plane.

The abstract form creates a quiet, restful, and spiritual place in the park.

Perry Lakes Pavilion
Marion, AL
2001-2002 Thesis Project
Student Team. Jennifer Bonner, Mary Beth Maness, Nathan Orrison, Anthony Tindell