Dominique Perrault at one with nature in his first UK projectAhistoric market town in London’s commuter belt is the unlikely site ofDominique Perrault’s first project to be built in the UK.The French architect designed the Priory Park Pavilion in Reigate, Surrey, which officially opened on 12 June.Although Perrault’s practice is more renowned for its grands projets,such as the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris and the OlympicVelodrome in Berlin, it has also designed a number of intimate,small-scale buildings such as Café Lichtbick in Innsbruck, Austria.The pavilion is the centrepiece of a council-run initiative whichinvolves the renovation of historic Priory Park. The park restorationproject has been funded by a £4.2m grant from the Heritage LotteryFund, plus contributions from the council and corporate sponsors. With a total floor area of 340 sq m, the pavilion contains the park’sinformation centre, public toilets and a café that is run by a localbusiness. Perrault’s design, according to the architect’s website, “seeks adialogue between architecture and nature” and features a circular planwith floor to ceiling windows and mirror-polished stainless steelcolumns.The roof is further supported by four internal columns, three of whichhave been sculpturally clad in fine gypsum, a soft mineral. Thepavilion’s floor is decorated with brightly coloured circles - aninterpretation of an artwork by Walter Oberholtzer. Sustainability is a key element of the scheme – the pavilion is fittedwith a ground source heat pump which utilises the Earth’s warmth. Theheat pump involves a series of underground pipes and is predicted tosave 13.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.Perrault’s scheme was the winning entry in an international competitionjudged by members of the local council, English Heritage and the RIBA.It was also the favourite scheme with Reigate residents, receiving over90 per cent positive comments.Cllr Adam De Save, from Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, said:“I am sure that visitors to the park will be struck by the building’sdistinctive beauty.”
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