The Northern Liberties Neighbors Association (NLNA) recently celebrated the opening of its new Pavilion designed by KieranTimberlake's Community Involvement group and funded through a grant from the Penn Treaty Special Services District. Located just a few blocks from our studio, the NLNA Pavilion provides a permanent landscaped space for the community to host many types of events.

The Pavilion's main feature is a large folded roof that hovers above the landscape, providing shade and shelter while also directing rainwater into a planting bed and rain garden. The roof's ceiling is clad with mirrored, stainless steel tiles that playfully reflect the activities below. Concrete planters surrounding the pavilion double as benches for additional seating when necessary.  
 

The former site was plagued by hard surfaces and a bare landscape that offered little privacy or shade. The new Pavilion landscape, designed by Studio Bryan Hanes, now features low-maintenance native plantings that support the local ecosystem and help mitigate stormwater runoff while also creating a private gathering space that is visually distinct from the Community Center's adjacent playground.

As an inviting, flexible, and engaging new amenity, the new NLNA Pavilion represents sustainable development in a neighborhood experiencing rapid growth.