hammond beeby rupert ainge

The pair of pavilions at the north end of Millennium Park provide entrance to public parking beneath the park, while completing the simple urban geometry defined by a landscaped plaza along Randolph Street and the slim shadowbox of the Chicago Music and Dance Theater. The pavilions’ design visibly expresses technological issues of green building through its cladding. The exterior envelope is a multi-layered skin, with an outer recycled-aluminum curtain wall within which are mounted customized mono-crystalline photovoltaic modules and insulated glass. The photovoltaic modules will generate electricity to power much of the pavilions’ lighting. Behind the photovoltaic modules is an air cavity, which serves as space for convective air cycles created by radiant solar heat gain. The roof is waterproofed with a highly heat-reflective thermoplastic membrane that combats the urban heat-island effect. Interior finishes and construction materials derive from certified or rapidly renewable resources. The pavilions’ exterior canopies are partly lit by ground-lights that operate on photocells, activated at sunset.