Threshold Pavilion

Description

The Threshold Pavilion was developed as an undergraduate thesis project at Carnegie Mellon University. The brief was self-directed: design a public gathering space for a former industrial site along the Monongahela River that would not compete with the landscape but become part of its vocabulary.

The structure uses a laminated timber frame with a continuous folded roof that channels rainwater into a central reflecting pool. The building’s orientation is calibrated to the low winter sun typical of Pittsburgh’s latitude, ensuring the interior receives raking light through the coldest months.

The exterior is clad in charred pine — a nod to the shou sugi ban tradition — which weathers over time to echo the oxidized steel found across Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. Inside, the walls are raw spruce, pale and fragrant.