Symphony Woods Visitor’s Center

While significant as a public green space, Symphony Woods was largely overlooked by local residents who often mistook it as a private area associated with the adjacent performance venue, Merriweather Post Pavilion. To reset the identity of the park, the new Visitor’s Center is to serve as a central point of arrival for visitors as well as a venue for public and private events. Located on the edge of the wooded park on a sloping site, the building stands with a substantial presence signaling the entrance to the park. The materiality, massing and proportion compliment the surrounding natural environment with its verticality, color, and patterning. To mark a place of arrival, the entrance is made transparent, connecting the outdoor environment into the double height space inside. Meanwhile, the building is surrounded with small terraced seating areas as intimate gathering spaces. The venue is oriented towards the woods with a modular glass wall that opens up to the outdoors. Together, the building is made to be simultaneously striking and integrated with its surroundings.

Davin’s Role: Design Principal

Client: Inner Arbor Trust

Architect: Living Design Lab