Cooper Joseph Studio

Webb Chapel Picnic Pavilion . Dallas

Cooper Joseph Studio . photos: © Eduard Hueber . + frame

Located in Dallas, TX, this simple picnic pavilion in a public park becomes a meaningful opportunity to embrace a passive, natural cooling system that becomes one with the sculptural design.

Intriguing, but abstract on the outside, the concrete box holds a surprisingly whimsical and functional interior The architecture generated from these gestures serves the function of the space and the neighborhood.
The thickened roof structure is deep enough to promote airflow and by using the thermal mass of the earth, the cast-in-place concrete benches provide radiant cooling in the heat of the Texan summer. The bright yellow cones act like a traditional palapa pulling cool air upward. By embedding the seating area in a deep berm, the concrete benches retain the cooling effect of the earth making for a lovely place to be with family to picnic, watch soccer, and overlook the playground.
Associate Architect: Quimby McCoy Preservation Architecture, LLP