Typology
Public/Civic
Plaza
Commercial
Location
Spokane, Washington
Square footage
6775 membrane; 78,726 structure
Year
2019
Owner
City of Spokane - Parks and Recreation Department
Developer
Producer
The U.S. Pavilion at Spokane’s Washington's Riverfront Park is a 1974 World's Fair relic. A winter storm damaged the fabric cover shortly after the fair, and the once-tent-like structure had been neglected for over four decades. GuildWorks, as a consultant to NAC Architecture, was hired to reimagine a new shade structure for this historic and iconic building.
GuildWorks developed a solution to attach shade elements to the existing, historic cable-net structure. Meticulous engineering analysis and modern techniques allowed GuildWorks to reverse-engineer the 46-year-old cable net to support a new fabric array.
The fabric panels come alive during afternoon sunsets, casting geometric patterns on the ground. Extensive sunshade studies helped with strategic fabric positioning. The Riverfront Pavilion and the surrounding park have since become a city icon for Spokane.
