04. Vaguely Square & Very Square Pavilions
UC Berkeley Design Studio 100B, The Square
Academic, 2024
Individual Work
Instructor: Amanda Bridges
This two-part project marks an early investigation into architectural systems, where spatial experience is produced through transformation, continuity, and internal organization rather than isolated formal gestures.
Part I: Vaguely Square
This project deconstructs the geometry of a square into its fundamental elements—points, lines, and planes—and reassembles them as a pavilion. A grid of points establishes the pavilion’s underlying order; lines rise from this grid to become structural columns, while a continuous wavering plane forms the roof, transforming the square into a dynamic, spatial surface.
Situated on a busy urban block, the pavilion creates a meditative spatial experience that offers a moment of pause within the city.
The pavilion choreographs movement through partial enclosures composed of wood columns. These walls direct circulation toward the center of the structure, where a large skylight introduces daylight into the core of the pavilion. From the exterior, the pavilion reads as a dense volume; upon entry, it unfolds into an open, luminous interior defined by depth, rhythm, and verticality.
Top Image: Model Photo axon view
Middle Left Image: Site Plan
Middle Right Image: Model Photo plan view
Bottom Left Image:
Model Photo
Bottom Right Image: Render interior view showing column system and center skylight.
Part II: Very Square
Building from Part I: Vaguely Square Pavilion, this project translates the curved roof into a dynamic, multi-level platform. The platform is stacked through a series of 90-degree rotations, producing varied floor heights and a continuous vertical sequence. A central void organizes cross-level circulation while reinforcing the square geometry as a governing structural logic. Columned walls are carried forward to further investigate the relationship between solid and void. Through repetition and variation, the project constructs a calming spatial experience—one that remains legible yet continually shifting.
From Top to Bottom:
Model Photo
Plan Drawings, showing the continuous circulation system
Section Drawing, showing variations in platform height and column screen system
Model Photos