Area

Berkeley,
UC Botanical Gardens (UCBG)

Designer

Mary Anne Friel

Photography

Michael Friel

Built

2012

Type

Art installation “Water Pavilion” for Natural Discourse: Artists, Architects, Scientists & Poets in the Garden

PURPOSE

“…a space for contemplation. If you sit quietly, you can hear the echo of the water in the tanks." – Mary Anne Friel

"This is a space where architecture and nature meet.”

Drawing on the rich history of garden pavilions and retreats, Water Pavilion creates an evocative contemplative space through a spare composition of wood, water, stone and site. A dialogue of interior and exterior, of water tanks and watershed, of garden and city, invites reflection on the interrelationship of technology, culture, nature and self.

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley (UCBG) and a multi-disciplinary group of artists, writers and architects were invited to spend time in UCBG’s renown collection of plants, engage with the staff and horticulturalists and develop new site specific works in response.

Water Pavilion draws on the history of garden architecture as enclosures in which the individual can reflect on human relationships with nature. Two decommissioned water tanks, in UCBG’s Mediterranean area constructed in the early 1900’s of old growth redwood, that once drew water from Strawberry Creek watershed to irrigate farms in the canyon, are reemployed to create an evocative space that at once brings the viewer into intimate contact with the monumental forms of the tanks, and the majestic redwood of their construction while acting as a lens to the stunning vista of the botanical garden, the city, the Golden Gate bridge and the Pacific Ocean.
-UCBG

PROCESS

Two pre-existing water tanks in UCBG’s Mediterranean Area are joined with circular walls built of salvaged tank staves to form an enclosure open to the sky. Stepping from the lush garden environment, into the pavilion, a visitor is greeted by water streaming down the high inner wall. The sound of water and soft crush of gravel underfoot resonate in the surrounding silence. The space of enclosure focuses attention on the wood grain pattern of the staves and the precise geometry of the two monumental tanks, each holding 30,000 gallons.  Opposite the falling water, a narrow entry frames a stunning view of Strawberry Creek Canyon, urban Berkeley, San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate.

ABOUT THE WOOD

100% salvaged old growth redwood used

The lumber used for the pavilion walls was salvaged from a tank at Blossom Hill Winery. Its staves, milled in a complex geometry to form the tank, were meticulously stored for years while awaiting reuse. The wine tank and the UCBG water tanks were built with old growth Coast Redwood. Native to the Pacific Coast between central California and the southern Oregon border, these trees are the world’s tallest living things, some achieving heights over 360 feet and commonly living 600 – 1,200 years. The once abundant old growth redwood, prized for its straight clear grain, resistance to decay and fire, and its light weight is only commercially available today as lumber reclaimed from preexisting structures.