Hopper Design + Illustration - The Parachute Pavilion: An open design competition for Coney Island
Program organization:
The Parachute Pavilion is accessed from the boardwalk and includes an open restaurant featuring exhibition cooking, with take away food counters, live performance areas, retail and outdoor seating spaces. The lower level is a flexible gallery space, used for both display and events, and open to above with administrative offices along the perimeter. These areas have direct access to parking and loading.
Design intent:
The Pavilion is a place of fun, and discovery, that utilizes transparency and meandering sight lines to invite passersby to investigate. Like it’s namesake (The Parachute Jump) the Pavilion is a light, exposed structure providing an initial thrill and then inviting the user in to take a wonderful ride of discovery. The spaces in and around the pavilion are designed as open and flexible to allow varying, continuous use, making it a prime center for activity. The exterior space has a central area for socializing adjacent to the historic boardwalk and graphic panels ex-halting Coney Island’s past.
In the evening the transparent surfaces lit from within will create a dramatic glow that will balance the planned lighting of The Parachute Jump. While many of the buildings details pay homage to The Parachute jump, by using colorful structure, cable stays, and fabric roof membranes, it’s contemporary form will provide dramatic juxtaposition, firmly making the pavilion a cornerstone for the future development of Coney Island. These elements add up to a dynamic building full of movement that will attract people in to explore the layers of activities, allowing them to enjoy the ride and capturing them for awhile.