The Houston pavilion is bounded by an embossed
concrete wall that refers to the long Chinese tradition of walled gardens; the
wall is inflected to allow entry and to retain an earthen hill that is intended
to reference the topography of a Houston bayou. Visitors move along a path
guided by a water course that winds between the perimeter wall and the
hillside. The path is further defined by a trellised canopy to provide shade
and to refer to the natural tree canopy of a typical bayou landscape. The
trellised canopy is made of plasma-cut plate steel, welded
and painted white, covered by a perforated steel layer that will produce
intricate patterns of shadows along the path.
An orthogonal stone “bayou” guides
visitors through the space, anchored by large steel cisterns that serve as
the source and basin. The basin is flanked by limestone walks and steps, and
surrounded by a tall grass and meadow flower prairie. At the top of the hill,
visitors will exit down a stair attached to the bounding wall and return to the
original grade.
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