Guerrilla Shading Pavilion demonstrates that "shade doesn't need to be expensive or complicated"
Architecture studio Pearce+ has created a timber pavilion in Camden, London, to draw attention to the need for shade in the UK and encourage people to build their own DIY shading.
Commissioned by Camden Inspire festival, the simple pavilion is currently situated at the site of the Camden Collective charity in north London. It was built to show how shade can easily be created.
"We wanted to show that shade can be practical, playful and beautiful," Pearce+ founder Owen Pearce told Dezeen.
"Making shade doesn't need to be expensive or complicated," he continued. "A bit of ingenuity, some simple materials and a few willing hands can go a long way."
The timber pavilion has a simple hexagonal form constructed from five prefabricated, trapezoidal sections that were assembled on site. All of the timber was reused from previous Pearce+ projects.
The slated timber walls shade a small interior space, while the structure acts as an anchor that large pieces of fabric can be attached to, creating a roof for additional shading.
Pearce+ worked with Shade The UK to develop the structure with the aim of drawing attention to the growing need to create shaded spaces in the UK.
"Shade is one of the simplest ways to make our increasingly hot environments more bearable, yet it's remarkably overlooked in the UK," said Pearce.
"We have surprisingly short memories when it comes to hot summers, and conversations about overheating quickly disappear when the weather cools," he continued.
"We need to start treating shade as essential infrastructure, not a seasonal luxury. That means changing planning policy, but also empowering people to take action themselves."
The lower sections of the pavilion were left unfinished, with visitors to the festival completing them using donated fabric to weave into the walls.
This participation was part of a wider desire to use the pavilion to encourage people to add shade to streets and public spaces themselves as part of the studio's Guerrilla Shading initiative.
"I'd love people to adopt a can-do attitude for shading," said Pearce. "Look around your school, garden, street or local park and ask: where could we make some shade? Who could we work with? What could we make it from?"
"And don't wait until the next heatwave!" he continued. "Start thinking and making now, so we're ready for next summer. Small, creative interventions can make a real difference and spark much bigger conversations."
According to Pearce, the pavilion was designed to be disassembled and rebuilt, and he hopes to take the structure on tour – ideally to Glastonbury Festival.
"The pavilion was designed to be dismantled and reassembled, with new shade sails and contributions added wherever it goes," said Pearce.
"It's currently at the festival's home of Camden Collective, but organisers Camden Unlimited are planning to take it on tour in the new year with local organisations or schools, so hopefully it will continue evolving and sparking conversations," he continued.
"Personally, I'd love to take it to Glastonbury. Anyone who's been there during a heatwave knows there's precious little shade! A series of collectively made shading structures across the festival could be brilliant."
Previously on Dezeen, architect Liz Gálvez created a pavilion Los Angeles from cord and earthen blocks to showcase the potential of urban shade.
The photography is by Ben Sage.
Project credits:
Client: Camden Inspire
Architect: Pearce +
Structural engineer: Momentum Engineering
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