Inhabit Education Pavilion

UT Austin School of Architecture + Center for Sustainable Development, Summer 2017 (Critic: Coleman Coker ; Client: Galveston Island State Park ; Collaborators: Andre Boudreaux, Brooke Burnside, Avignon Greene, Rebecca Kennedy, Andrea Manrique-Becker, Whitney Moore, Hugo Reynolds, Sean Reynolds, Joseph Rocha, Patrick Schoonover, and Ui-Jun Song)

The focus of UT Austin’s annual Public Interest Design studio is collaborating with stakeholders in underserved communities. In this studio, the stakeholders were park rangers at Galveston Island State Park in need of a shade pavilion for environmental education tours as part of their Junior Ranger program. The ultimate goal of the pavilion is to heighten the children’s experience in nature, inspiring them to become better environmental stewards.

The 450 square-foot pavilion is located on Lake Como, part of the Galveston Bay, and is one of only a few structures located on this side of the state park. Therefore the pavilion must also act as an interface that connects visitors with the bay ecology. The actions of almost all Texans have ramifications in this bay, which is not only the final destination of numerous watersheds but also the home of diverse wildlife. Thus, habitats are built into the design to draw attention to the richness of this often overlooked and fragile ecosystem.

The design phases lasted four weeks. Construction drawings were prepared in one week and I led this effort with Avignon Greene and Sean Reynolds. Two weeks were devoted to off-site prefabrication and on-site construction lasted ten days.

Awards

• Planning and Design Award, City of Galveston, 2019

• Design Build Award, ACSA, 2019 Architectural Education Awards

• Merit Award, AIA Fort Worth, 2018 Excellence in Architecture Student Design Awards

Press

• “Coastal Parkitecture, Bay Trawl & Alum Creek Toads” Texas Parks and Wildlife, Season 27, Episode 12 (first aired on PBS December 30, 2018)

• "Inhabit" ISSUE XIV (April 2018)

• "Inhabit" Gulf Coast DesignLab (2018)

• "Students Build Awareness About the Gulf Coast" UT News (August 16, 2017)