Indianapolis Zoo Bicentennial Pavilion and Promenade

A major donation from the Lilly Endowment presented the Indianapolis Zoo with the opportunity to design a game-changing landmark that would accommodate special events and programming, more deeply engage visitors, and manifest their core values of conservation and sustainability. The solution would need to be an open-air special events facility, protected from inclement or marginal weather, and able to support a wide variety of sometimes-simultaneous group activities, including concerts, picnics, and private events, while also expanding on existing seasonal events in the Fall and Winter.  This new facility would have to be compelling enough to be an attraction of its own, but “quiet” enough to be transformed for special occasions and activities.

The Pavilion and Promenade design is inspired by Indiana forests and crafted primarily using natural and long-lasting materials, featuring local limestone and weathering steel. The Pavilion’s eleven tree-like “pods” provide 40,000 SF of weather-protected space and a unique, high-drama environment for up to 1000 seated event attendees.

While protecting patrons from its inclement nature, the Pavilion is designed to celebrate the more momentary and life-giving aspects of a rain shower. Precipitation that reaches the canopy roof is funneled to the center of each pod where its energy is dissipated and its movement is celebrated as it falls across custom-designed, laser-cut weathering steel screens. Upon reaching the ground, the water is channeled to a series of raingardens where it is encouraged to percolate through the soil and into the natural groundwater aquifer.