A 3,500-square-foot providence riverfront pavilion now sits under a steel-supported aluminum canopy at 195 District Park in Providence, Rhode Island. The year-round building gives visitors a place to eat, drink and gather beside the Providence River. Architecture Research Office completed the project.
A year-round building for the park
The New York studio, known as ARO, designed the building as a year-round amenity for the public. The building holds an indoor-outdoor dining area and public restrooms. It also houses two local businesses.
According to 195 District, those businesses are The Guild Brewing Company and Seven Stars Bakery. The Guild’s co-founder, Jeremy Duffy, said the two companies were bringing “two iconic Rhode Island brands to the table.” The restrooms sit at the building’s southern corner, and the pavilion includes support space for park operations.
195 District proposed the pavilion in 2022 to activate the park through the year.
A beacon on the highest point
The pavilion stands at the park’s highest point. Studio principal Kim Yao told Dezeen that the position responds to the floodplain of the adjacent Providence River.
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“Centrally located within 195 District Park, the pavilion is a park amenity that welcomes and orients visitors while supporting park programming,” Yao said. Her team designed the multifaceted structure to work as a beacon with several entrances.
Yao said that positioning lets the building stay visible from multiple entry points to the park.
Materials and roof
A metal frame forms the core of this cedar clad pavilion. Dezeen reports that the frame is clad in cedar wood, a nod to the area’s local architecture.
An aluminum canopy wraps the structure. Steel columns support it, and it extends over the plaza to shelter an outdoor seating area.
A sloped green roof sits on top. Agency Landscape + Planning, which led the landscape design, says the roof integrates the building with the park and minimizes stormwater runoff. The roof also screens the rooftop mechanical systems.
Yao described how the building performs across seasons. “As a year-round amenity, the pavilion opens to shaded exterior areas in the summer while providing shelter during colder seasons,” she said. She added that the building gives occupants views of the river and the surrounding area.
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Inside the providence riverfront pavilion
The 3,500-square-foot interior opens onto an indoor seating area with exposed wooden joists. Operable storefront doors line one side of the space. When open, they connect the interior to the adjacent plaza and allow passive ventilation.
Public restrooms occupy the southern corner. The layout puts dining, shelter and facilities under one roof while keeping the plaza open to the park.
Setting along the river
The pavilion sits beside a curved pedestrian bridge that spans the Providence River. Inform Studio and Buro Happold completed the bridge in 2020, linking the park’s east and west sides.
The park itself opened in 2019, after the relocation of the I-195 highway reconnected the two sides of the river, according to Agency. Marc Crisafulli, chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, said the park already draws 5,000 daily visitors.
The pavilion adds a building designed for use in every season, and its pavilion architecture offers a counterpoint to the highway that once divided the waterfront. For a riverfront that once sat divided by a highway, it gives visitors a reason to linger in winter as well as summer.
Source: dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
Where is the ARO pavilion located in Providence?
The pavilion is located at 195 District Park in Providence, Rhode Island, beside the Providence River. It stands at the park’s highest point.
Who designed the Providence riverfront pavilion at 195 District Park?
Architecture Research Office (ARO), a New York studio, designed the pavilion. The building was designed as a year-round amenity for the public.
Which businesses occupy the pavilion at 195 District Park?
The building houses The Guild Brewing Company and Seven Stars Bakery, according to 195 District. The pavilion also includes an indoor-outdoor dining area and public restrooms.
What materials were used to build the Providence riverfront pavilion?
A metal frame is clad in cedar wood, a nod to the area’s local architecture. An aluminum canopy supported by steel columns wraps the structure, and a sloped green roof sits on top.
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