Designed and built by third-year architecture students, the Pollinator Pavilion acts as a gateway to a restored native prairie landscape on the site of the Kansas Children's Discovery Center in Topeka, Kansas. The design of the structure stems from the Kansas state bird, the Western Meadowlark, as well as pollinator species native to Kansas prairies. The incorporation of these elements offers the children visiting the museum a chance to learn about the various flora and fauna that exist within the adjacent prairie through programming at the Center. To withstand prescribed burns of the prairie, the entire structure is composed of galvanized steel with powder coated accents near the cantilevered wing tips. Large cottonwood limestone boulders serve as seating and prairie overlook platforms for children. Located adjacent to the parking lot, the pavilion also serves as a drop-off location for museum visitors. The pavilion form capitalized on parametric software and digital fabrication tools to prepare steel components. Solar shading simulations were used to optimize the form for seasonal shading to best serve the museum visitors. Over time, the prairie landscape will fill in to surround the pavilion and integrate it into the landscape. Instructor: Keith Van de Riet Students: Ashlyn Caldwell, Landon Dinkel, Katie Drummond, Cole Erlemeier, Cameron Ernst, Emily Flachs, Tianyi Han, Hanna Hissa, Emme Schatz, Yuchuan Shi, Sophey Shutt, David Tauser

Pollinator Pavilion as gateway to the prairie

The Pollinator Pavilion frames the entrance to trails that bring visitors into the restored prairie landscape at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center.

View looking through the shade structure

The Pavilion frames the entrance to the trails and provides seating under a canopy inspired by prairie inhabitants.

View from the underside

Expanded metal mesh filters light and creates a dynamic moire effect.

View from underside of wing tips

Wing tips are powder coated to match the museum entry tower and frame the sky with a gap between the two sides.

Pavilion with Children's Center behind

The pavilion compliments the existing undulating roofline of the museum to connect the entrance to the prairie landscape.