Pavilions are the heart of a park. They are the gathering place, the dining space and the iconic feature that blends civilization with the natural environment. In many parks, these structures are designed to capture and display the character of their surroundings, but there are also aspects of function that good structures will solve. Every organization has different goals and values for getting these qualities with their pavilions and shelters, but even unrelated cases share a common thread of how to succeed with a shelter project.
In the three case studies explored below, city, state and federal organizations needed shelters for park improvement projects. These projects shared very few similarities, but each organization chose a common solution. The City of Phoenix, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the USDA Forest Service each opted to use a design-build firm for the design and supply of their new pavilions.
Echo Canyon Trailhead, Arizona
The City of Phoenix renovated the Echo Canyon Trailhead as part of its 30-year Parks and Preserve Initiative to fund parks projects in Phoenix. The trail is one of the most popular outdoor recreation sites in the city, but it lacked sufficient facilities. The renovation included adding increased parking with a gatehouse, drinking fountains, permanent restrooms and a matching ramada. “Ramada” is the regional term for a pavilion type of shelter in the American Southwest.
The shelter was added for a very common-sense purpose: providing shade for hikers. The City of Phoenix wanted the shelter to have a curved roof to soften the structure against the hard landscape and to reflect the rounded, weathered rocks. The City also wanted the ramada to be designed in a way that would minimize the need for maintenance. Particularly, they wanted a structural design that would not provide space where birds or wildlife could roost.
The general contractor for the renovation worked with a structural design-build firm to get the design needs of the City met and to get installation for the buildings and ramada. The ramada was designed as a compact steel structure that was powder-coated with the color the City selected. These features met the City’s needs for an attractive, low-maintenance trail shelter. Using a design-build firm allowed the general contractor to focus on the renovation while meeting the City’s needs for the structure.
Big Creek State Park, Iowa
The Iowa DNR wanted to replace several existing pavilions at the popular Big Creek State Park. The existing shelters were too small, severely outdated and did not match the style of the park. The DNR chose to demolish these structures in favor of new shelters that would be larger and provide more suitable features for the park.
Chad Kelchen, park manager at Big Creek, believed the most important step in getting the new pavilions was having a predetermined layout and renderings for the shelters. This allowed the DNR to carry out its design standards and visualize the structures at the park. For pavilions, the DNR design standards call for using large timbers in combination with stone or concrete block. A total of 12 new shelters were designed for Big Creek with these standards, including three large pavilions and nine beachside cabanas.
Kelchen says the new structures have been extremely popular and that their design creates a consistent appearance, matching the style of Big Creek and the DNR standards. The DNR used a design-build firm to accomplish its design goals, but construction was actually provided by an awarded local contractor.
Nevada Beach, Nevada
The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the USDA Forest Service established the need to construct a new pavilion structure at the picturesque Nevada Beach on Lake Tahoe. The Forest Service wanted to mimic the design of a log pavilion that was at the same location in the 1950s. Though the historic pavilion only stood for 25 years, the Forest Service had photographs of the shelter and thought the site would benefit from that type of structure.
The Forest Service worked directly with a design-build firm through a General Services Administration (GSA) contract. Katie Kuchenbecher, a Forest Service facilities engineer, said that working through a GSA contract made meeting the scope of this project more streamlined and particularly easy to purchase. It also provided the Forest Service with the ability to have direct input on the complete design, the supply components and the shipping of the new structure.
These factors were important because the Forest Service adheres to consistent design principles found in its Built Environment Image Guide. Blending the design standards from the guide with the visual qualities of the historic structure was the goal for this project. Through the design-build firm, the Forest Service got a large log pavilion to match the natural scenery of Nevada Beach.
“This was a great project in a beautiful environment, and I think that people will be able to enjoy it for a very long time,” adds Kuchenbecher.
Each of these three organizations and their projects were different in terms of size, scope and requirements, but they successfully got new shelters to meet their goals through a similar process.
“Know your needs and what you are trying to accomplish before moving forward,” advises Chris Ewell, registered landscape architect for the City of Phoenix.
This sentiment is common. Getting a good shelter or pavilion begins first by defining the needs of the project. Using established requirements with a reliable and experienced design-build firm or manufacturer is an effective process for getting new structures.
William Burt is the Marketing Coordinator for Romtec Inc.
Gimme Shelter
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