Flood Gate Pavilion

The idea for a design with a flood prevention/management came from the city in which I live. My city has a serious problem with flooding, so much so that the Cumberland River overflows regularly. There is a system in place to ensure that the river doesn't flow too far into the city, but it often has problems, and there are only 6 dams. However, dams are difficult to work around, since many ships go through the Cumberland, so I thought of this project to work around these constraints.

I made this project to explore folding architecture as an active system rather than a stylistic choice. By integrating modern technology and those from the Renaissance, this structure can incorporate folding as a core function. Through the use of large-scale hinged steel plates, a Miter Gate flood barrier, and hydraulic locking mechanisms, this pavilion shows how nature, transportation infrastructure, and public space can coexist without having to compromise safety or usability.

Physical

1. Pencils
2. Papers
3. Colored pencils
4. Ruler
5. Eraser

Software

1. Any Rendering Software
2. Autodesk Fusion 360

For documenting

1. Smartphone/Camera

For model

1. Paper
2. Colored Pencils
3. Glue
4. 3D printer
5. PLA filament

Clarksville, Tennessee is positioned with the Cumberland River in the south. The river has shaped the city’s growth and contributed to its economy, but is increasingly causing water damage in the city. The river supports recreation, tourism, and public life, but it is also a major flood risk. Clarksville has experienced repeated flooding events over the past years, often even several in a year, including major events that damaged riverfront infrastructure, parks, and displaced nearby neighborhoods.

As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall events in the Southeast, river levels on the Cumberland have become less and less predictable. Traditional flood protection methods along riverfronts are rigid, visually intrusive, or completely disconnected from daily public use.

What stood out to me during early research was that flood infrastructure in many cities, as is the case with Clarksville is designed only for worst-case scenarios. For most of the year, these systems are unused, and occupy public space without offering any value for most of the year. This is a missed opportunity.

Flood protection along riverfronts such as the one in Clarksville typically creates a tradeoff between safety and accessibility. In Clarksville, this is especially the case. While Clarksville values riverwalks, parks, and public gathering spaces, these areas are among the first to be impacted during floods and weather events.

The core issues are that:

1. Flood barriers are inactive/unused most of the year
2. Defensive infrastructure often blocks river access
3. Emergency-only systems provide no everyday benefit and are therefore unpopular

As flooding becomes more frequent, increasing wall height or adding temporary barriers becomes less viable. Public space is lost, and infrastructure becomes something people have to tolerate rather than something they can trust. This is a lose lose situation for both the city officials and residents.

Flood protection that feels disconnected is often neglected, and falls into disrepair.

I began by studying flood-control systems used in riverfront cities with similar challenges.

The most notable precedents included:

1. The Thames Barrier (UK) for large-scale (and movable) flood defense
2. Miter and vertical lift gates used in Japan and the Netherlands (both countries prone to flooding)
3. Riverfront flood walls integrated into public space in European cities that often flood
4. The Panama Canal's Miter Gate system (for an example of suing hydraulics to open and close the gates)

At the same time, I researched kinetic and folding architecture. I focused on systems that shift between a small number of stable states (open state/closed state) rather than ones in constant motion or those that that incorporate folding as form rather than function. The most reliable systems shared three traits:

1. Clear mechanical logic
2. Redundancy
3. Physical locking instead of continuous power dependence

These ideas became the main goals for my project.

Based on my research, I identified a set of design requirements going into my sketch:

1. Flood protection must have at least some type of everyday civic use
2. The system must clearly communicate which state it is currently in to residents
3. Mechanical components should be durable, and not too power hungry
4. Flood defense should be layered rather than singular (for redundancy)

Rather than hiding flood infrastructure underground or behind walls, I wanted to make it the core of the architecture.

I landed on the idea of a folding riverfront pavilion from pictures of folding bridges/Bascule bridges.

I planned for it to operate in two distinct states:

1. Open State: A covered public pavilion for markets, weddings, or other gatherings
2. Closed State: A sealed flood barrier for the Cumberland River

I thought of large-scale galvanized steel plates would pivot around a central longitudinal hinge. In everyday conditions, these plates form an open-air civic space. During flood events, they fold inward and downward, creating an airtight protective shell that could be used to block flood waters.

The pavilion is organized around hinge spines running parallel to the river. Each steel plate is connected through bolted hinge knuckles.

Key structural elements include:

1. Hot-dip galvanized steel plates
2. Greaseable bronze sleeve bearings
3. Mechanical stops defining fully open and fully closed positions

When closed, the folded geometry redirects lateral flood forces into compressive loads along the plates and down into reinforced concrete foundations.

The folding mechanism for the pavilion is largely inspired by how Bascule bridges work. Hydraulic dampers control the speed of the folding motion, to prevent it form closing too quickly. Once the pavilion reaches either stable state, mechanical locking pins engage.

This is to ensure:

1. No reliance on continuous energy
2. Stability during prolonged flood events
3. Safe behavior during power loss

To ensure multiple ways to protecting against floods, I decided on a vertically deployable Miter Gate placed on the side of the pavilion that faces the current. This gate acts as the first line of defense against rising water levels, but also allows ships to go through the Cumberland River.

When deployed:

1. The Miter gate resists direct pressure from the current at all times
2. The folded pavilion acts as a secondary barrier and structural backstop only during floods

When inactive:

1. The Miter gate retracts to let water go through the pavilion (which is slightly below water level to ensure that it does not hinder the flow of water traffic

I wanted to use a multilayered system to ensure reliability and reduces stress on any single system.

After considering all of my goals and bringing together my two main design elements (the two folding mechanisms), I decided on my solution to Clarksville's flooding and flood protection neglect problem: The Flood Gate Pavilion.

The Flood Gate Pavilion is designed to to bridge the gap between flood defense and civic infrastructure. It protects Clarksville’s riverfront while remaining socially active for most of the year, to ensure that it is not neglected and does not fall into disrepair. In addition, due to constant water exposure, it will have access points built into the design for maintenance.

Rather than choosing between safety and public space, I wanted to bring the two together.

Materials

Considering the direct exposure to water and debris from the Cumberland River, the materials form which it will be made must ensure durability.

Key materials:

1. Galvanized structural steel
2. Bronze/Steel bearings for long-term rotation
3. Water-grade/Water-tight seals and fasteners
4. Reinforced concrete foundations with water stops

Constant Relevance

In its open state, the pavilion supports:

1. Farmers markets
2. Weddings
3. Performances
4. Community gatherings
5. Other large events

Flood Protection Mode

During flood events, the Miter gate closes first, followed by the folding pavilion. The city government sends an email in the newsletter to ensure that the public is aware, boosting trust.

After I decided on what I would make and how it would fold, I decided to create a sketch, because I prefer to have a reference when using CAD software.

I started by creating models in Fusion360 for all three states of the pavilion.

After creating the models in Fusion360, I used CAD to simulate the models' performance in a river similar to the Cumberland, both with the Miter gate open and closed, and with the pavilion folded open and closed.

I then began working on a more realistic model to 3D print as a physical model.

I then 3D printed the model.

After 3D printing the model, I colored and labeled some paper with the details of the physical model.

This project challenged me to think beyond making something that simply works and instead focus on how it moves, adapts, and fits real-world constraints. Designing a structure that incorporates folding as a core function forced me to carefully consider geometry, hinge placement, and how to manage weights in ways I had not explored before.

One of the biggest challenges was balancing the design's simplicity with functionality. Every additional folding feature increased complexity and chances of failure, so I had to decide which movements were essential and which could be removed without compromising the core idea.

If I were to continue this project, I would focus on improving the locking mechanism and further expanding on how this can be rapidly deployed. Overall, this project helped me develop a stronger understanding of mechanical design, constraint-based problem solving, and how folding can improve usability, transport, and storage.

1. Autodesk for having a student plan.
2. Blender for being free
3. OrcaSlicer for being free
4. ResearchGate for making high quality research accessible
5. My family for putting up with my constant 3D printing