The Pavilion at St. John Encampment Commons

St. John Encampment Commons is the newest open space at the heart of the Austin Community College Highland campus and mixed-use development. It is named for large annual gatherings once held on the site by the St. John Baptist Association, an African American community that owned the land beginning in the late 1800s. The park functions as part front yard, part classroom, part living room, and part performance space, and features a regenerative landscape. Anchoring the primary gathering space is the pavilion, a shade structure whose design was inspired by the forms of the cloth tents that housed encampment attendees. Rotated louvers across the canopy provide shade throughout the day and create a translucent, cloth-like appearance at night. The pavilion celebrates the site’s rich history while envisioning a future of environmental responsibility and social equity.

“This project unearthed the history of the site, really thinking about the community that had used it, from an orphanage to encampments. It created a form that reflected that historical significance but reinterpreted it through a totally different materiality, executed with a light touch. It really brings to life that simple, inviting swoop of a tent form.” —Ashley Rao, AIA

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