The jury for the 2013 Flat Lot Competition in Flint, Michigan has awarded EVDS architecture graduate student Michael Ting an Honorable mention for his AC.H2O Pavilion. His project was one of three projects from 220 submissions to receive an honorable mention.
AC.H2O is a pavilion designed by Ting that aims to create a space for cooling during the hot summer months in Flint Michigan. The proposed site is a full block surface parking lot adjacent to the University of Flint Michigan, commonly known as a space for summer parades, car shows, road races and other events. The proposed pavilion is designed to house a concert space, a stage area as well as an eating/drinking area. As a site with limited shading, the pavilion captures rain water and reuses it to cool the space underneath, both passively and actively, while providing shaded areas for its users.
Overall, the form functions as a large funnel suspended above the site. Rain water drained towards to center of the pavilion is filtered to be used for cooling misters near the stage area. The individual water trays collect water and form a saturated surface underneath, designed to work with prevailing winds for optimal cooling effects. AC.H2O functions as a space for cooling; while creating a unique architectural form that transforms an ordinary surface parking lot into an activated space for public events.
The jury for this competition was made up of artists, civic leaders and architects. For more details on the competition and the top submissions, click here.
Ting's project was developed as part of a research studio in the Masters of Architecture program at the University of Calgary. The studio is taught by Assistant Professor Jason Johnson and focused on the iterative production of project prototypes that engage digital production techniques, changing climates and their influences on architectural design.