"Color...Wave...Aggregation..." from the Louisville Centennial Festival of Riverboats competition

"Color...Wave...Aggregation..." is an entry by Architecture Assistant Professor Sarosh Anklesaria and Professor Ryan Ludwig of Syracuse University that was submitted for the Centennial Festival Riverboats competition in Louisville, Kentucky.

The international competition sought the best design for an outdoor pavilion for the centennial celebration of the The Belle of Louisville in service, which will take place this October. The Belle is the oldest operating steamboat in the U.S.

Although the entry didn't win a prize in the competition, a colorful pavilion like this could perhaps spark some inspiration for your own future outdoor festivities.

Check out the project below.

Project description:

"This proposal for the Louisville Centennial Festival of Riverboats celebrates the continuity of the river through a continuously undulating roof form that mimics the forms of waves."

"Each pavilion is composed of four distinct pentagonal units or spaces, that through their various aggregations provides a subtle, but varying roof profile and also provides various spatial configurations able to accommodate the specified programs like bourbon tasting, exhibition and performance activities."

"Although each pavilion configuration is different they are all constructed using the same fundamental system of  four bamboo spindle columns operating in compression, a series of woven rope arches operating in tension and two different types of semi-transparent shade cloth infill surfaces that span between the woven rope lattice."

"These infill surfaces provide basic enclosure and also provide a surface upon which both during the day the sunlight, and during the evening various artificial lights individually transform each pavilion through a subtle interplay of color, light and shadow."

"All of the materials needed to construct these pavilions would either be reclaimed (wood decking),   naturally and locally sources (river cane bamboo) or could easily be recycled / reused (membrane shade cloth)."

Images courtesy of Sarosh Anklesaria and Ryan Ludwig.

Click the thumbnails below for project drawings.