Desai Chia lifts ripple-shaped wildlife pavilion over a restored pond

Desai Chia Architecture has completed a 380-square-foot (35-square-metre) wildlife-viewing pavilion on an 80-acre (32-hectare) private property in Chatham, a rural town in Upstate New York. The New York City studio shaped the structure like the number eight in plan and lifted it above the ground to minimise disruption to a restored wetland habitat.

The pavilion stands at the edge of a spring-fed pond, reached by a meandering path. The pond once served agricultural purposes. "Once used as a livestock watering hole, it has now been remediated and restored as a natural wetland haven for wildlife, birds, fish and pollinators," said Desai Chia Architecture. The surrounding area supports bears, foxes, deer, raccoons and possums.

Desai Chia Architecture has designed several other structures on the same property, including a main house, guest dwelling, livestock barn and large greenhouse, for a couple with grown children.

How did the design respond to the water?

The pavilion consists of two platforms of differing heights. The higher platform extends over the water, allowing visitors to "observe natural wetland habitats at the pond, as well as activity in the forest beyond", according to the team.

A sculptural canopy made of three intersecting, hollowed-out cylinders tops the structure. "The intersecting forms were inspired by overlapping concentric ripples of water created when raindrops fall on the pond's surface," the team said.

One cylinder carries a solid roof with a solar-powered ceiling fan and a photovoltaic array.

What materials and orientation were chosen?

The construction uses galvanised steel columns and curved steel beams fitted together on-site. Standing-seam panels of 98 per cent recycled aluminium clad the canopy.

"The exterior of each cylinder is finished in a luminous satin grey, reflecting the surrounding forest and sky, while the interior is coated in a copper finish that casts a warm glow within," the team said.

The pavilion occupies the southwest corner of the pond. This placement shades it in the afternoon and captures dramatic views at dusk.

"As the sun sets, the light rakes across the pond from the west and lights up the forest canopy to the east, giving the pavilion an ideal sight line to the glowing row of trees and through the illuminated understorey," the team said.

Other projects by Desai Chia Architecture include a New York home with crisp silhouettes and cedar cladding, completed in Stanfordville, and a Connecticut residence with courtyards for exhibiting artwork. The Chatham Pond Pavilion extends the studio's work on the site into small-scale observational architecture, pairing recycled materials with a habitat-first structural approach.