Baker Creek Pavilion: Blending Nature and Architecture in Knoxville

As part of Knoxville, Tennessee's Urban Wilderness Gateway Project, Sanders Pace Architecture designs a new steel pavilion with an "innovative structural cantilever system."

According to Dezeen, "Sanders Pace Architecture designed the 2,475-square foot (230-square metre) Baker Creek Pavilion as the kick off to the City of Knoxville's urban wilderness planning initiative, which aims to reconnect the city through a 60-mile network of greenways and trail systems that connect a nature preserve, lakes, historic sites, quarries, playgrounds, five city parks and a 600-acre wildlife area."

The design of the structure draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape and the city's industrial history. As Dezeen reports, "inspired by the geometry of the adjacent mountain bike pump tracks and cycling skills park, the team designed a fluid but organized structure that focuses views through the pavilion to the rest of the park."

Composed of Corten steel and PVC fabric panels, the structure offers a strong focal point for community gatherings, recreational activities, and outdoor shelter. Featuring a structural cantilever system, the pavilion also provides stability and creates a sense of floating in the air. Dezeen highlights, "only touching the ground in three spots on narrow concrete pads, the large cantilever lifts up to allow access and views to the park, maximising accessible public space. The 160-square-foot (15-square-metre) restrooms are the only air-conditioned spaces, leaving the rest of the pavilion open to the Tennessee climate." 

By integrating a porous, cantilever structure into Knoxville's natural environment, the Urban Wilderness Gateway Project continues to promote a sustainable lifestyle that enhances environmentally conscious living and connectivity to nature. Sanders Pace Architecture notes that, "as a catalytic project, this relatively small structure has impacted city planning strategies, emphasizing connectivity and multi-model transportation infrastructure investment towards providing city-wide access to the Baker Creek Pavilion and the Urban Wilderness of South Knoxville."