pavilion studio
mcgill university | winter 2019 | 2 months
instructor: hubert pelletier
in collaboration with: peter ehvert
mcgill university | winter 2019 | 2 months
instructor: hubert pelletier
in collaboration with: peter ehvert
Nestled in the heart of the Montreal Botanical Gardens, the hummingbird aviary showcases elements of the rainforest essential for hummingbird life, while challenging the boundaries between natural and artificial. The rainforest is characterized by its towering trees, dense foliage and diverse 4 layers, constraints that make it incredibly difficult to sustain such an ecosystem in a greenhouse. By synthesizing the rainforest elements into their core functions, the pavilion embodies the rainforest in its essential form, made possible by the support of artificial structures. The visitors move through the pavilion without a set trajectory, experiencing the rainforest at their own pace.
The ground level of the pavilion showcases the lower stories of the rainforest, characterized by limited light levels, dense foliage, and inhabited by the small insects essential for hummingbirds’ ecosystem. The second story depicts the upper layers of the rainforest, where hummingbirds feed on nectar, mate and build their nests.
