A striking 380-square-metre pavilion made of recycled oyster shells and 123 soaring columns will be constructed on the Barangaroo waterfront at Watermans Cove. The design, by emerging Australian architecture practice Spresser, in collaboration with UK architect Peter Besley, won a competition held by Infrastructure NSW for the public space, and will provide an organic contrast to the steel-and-glass skyscrapers that rise behind it.

“The pavilion references the natural elements that compose the site: land, sky and sea,” Jessica Spresser, Spresser’s director, tells Broadsheet. “Land is expressed through the geometry of the pavilion; its curved perimeter analogous to surrounding coves. Sky is experienced through a large oculus that punctures the canopy, which is a perfect seven-metre circle. The materiality references sea, as the pavilion is made of Sydney Rock oyster shells mixed with white concrete. The concrete is then honed to reveal the shell and its various colours and shapes. We were looking to create a building that is civic yet intimate, and able to hold its own against a busy city skyline.”

It will be used as a public gathering site and for a program of events (a separate, smaller structure will act as a bar and servery). The pavilion has been designed to last forever and pays tribute to ancient oyster feasts at the site pre-colonialism.

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“The building’s material expression directly and permanently connects the pavilion to its natural setting,” says Spresser. “The incorporation of oyster shells celebrates its seaside location. There is also the social dimension of concentrations of discarded oyster shells being a signifier of human feasting and gathering around the world. The tradition of people coming together to feast on oysters on this particular site is ancient, and continues to the present day. There is also a sustainability initiative to recycle and use a by-product that is normally discarded as waste.”

The pier is slated for completion in mid-2022.

barangaroo.com