Pop-up Urban Garden Pavilion

The Pop-up Urban Garden Pavilion is a reusable and recyclable space available for hot summer days and recreational activities. For the physical model, I used basswood/toothpicks to represent bamboo wood and old rag to represent repurposed fabric. For the 3D model, I used Autodesk’s Tinkercad.

1. ¼”x ¼” x 36” Basswood Sticks
2. Toothpicks
3. 11” x 14” Foam Board
4. Grass Textured Paper
5. Artificial Moss
6. Model Trees
7. White old t-shirt
8. Scissors
9. Utility Knife
10. Self-healing cutting mat
11. Hot glue gun
12. Glue
13. Tinkercad
14. Pen and Paper

When considering the idea of a shade structure for a day at the beach, I imagined hot, sunny Californian days with summer events like local concerts, casual days in the park, farmer’s markets, cultural fairs, and several other community events. As a Californian high schooler with finals ending and summer break starting, a cool place to sit at these events sounded ideal, and so a solution came to mind: a common shade spot, a garden pavilion like the ones often used at parks and backyards.

My project addresses accessibility, sustainability, and structural aspects of a shady spot on days where the summer heat stays high and where urban areas lack green infrastructure. For research, I looked for materials that are easily repurposed, easily sourced, and environmentally conscious. I also looked for structures that were easy to put together. Here, I looked at different examples of garden pavilions and eventually decided on a canopy pavilion using rectangular shapes for easy set-up and bamboo wood for sustainable use. Not only useful for Californian weather, but for any hot populated area, my pop-up garden pavilion acts as an aesthetic, biophilic, and cooling space during the summer.

Photo Credit:

https://www.amazon.com/LUE-BONA-Curtains-Permanent-Pavilion/dp/B0CJFF7HHS?th=1

https://purpleleafshop.com/products/purple-leaf-patio-retractable-pergola-with-shade-canopy-modern-grill-gazebo-metal-shelter-pavilion-for-porch-deck-garden-backyard-outdoor-pergola-grey

My design of the Pop-Up Urban Garden Pavilion attempts to create a space that’s sustainable and easy to set up for temporary events. For the pavilion structure, I chose bamboo because it’s lightweight, durable, and a renewable material. Bamboo grows quickly without needing replanting which adds to its sustainable traits. As for easy temporary set-up, the pavilion is designed in rectangular shapes so that it is easy to assemble and disassemble. Secondly, the panels, which are also made of rectangular bamboo, allow for an aesthetic and sustainable way to provide shade, yet novelty to the pavilion. Additionally, the panels can be reused in different ways, like being turned into trellises for a garden once the event is over. For the canopy, I plan to use repurposed fabric in order to save materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill. This helps keep the project as eco-friendly as possible and ties into the idea of creating spaces that do not add to the problem of overconsumption and also the concept of green architecture. The canopy also allows for a lightweight and simple way to provide shade and easy set-up. Finally, the planters in the design are also meant to hold real plants, which help with cooling the space and also creating a clean and natural atmosphere. Overall, the materials and design choices reflect the goal of building something that can be easily repurposed, yet still effective for the event at hand.

Specific locations include city parks like Central Park, Golden Gate Park, or local community parks. More general sites could be rooftop gardens, elementary schoolyards, outdoor concert venues, college campuses, farmers markets, and town squares, or just anywhere that could benefit from a shaded space during summer events.

Photo Credits:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park

https://rockvillerampage.com/13298/news/rockville-town-square-fears-closure-due-to-debt-multiple-stories-shut-down/

I created both sketches with measurements and a CAD model using Tinkercad. The pavilion’s dimensions are 16ft x 20ft x 12ft tall, with 10ft x 8ft panels and 4ft benches. These sizes are based on average pavilion dimensions for outdoor spaces. The planters vary in size to create visual interest.

First, I started by gluing the grass paper to a foam board. Then, I cut the basswood sticks into two four-inch ones, two five-inch ones, four three-inch ones using a utility craft knife. After, I glued the planks together in a 4inx5in rectangle, then added a height of 3 inches on each edge of the rectangle. Next, I started on the panels/trellis. To create one, I cut 6 toothpicks into 2 inches and hot glued them to three toothpicks. I repeated this process three times. I also used the cutting mat to evenly space the toothpicks. Then, I cut an old white rag into a square to fit the top of the pavilion while allowing for some slight hang off the sides. However, I realized a more structured approach might be necessary, so I added another beam for support, creating two rectangles for the ceiling. I then hot-glued all of these components together: the trellises and the pavilion frame. Finally, I started on the decorations: I created four one-inch benches and various planters using extra basswood sticks. I glued on small bits of artificial moss and compressed them to become small plants. To add greenery, I added artificial trees and bushes.