The Guayacan Pavilion is an expression of materiality and space. In its transition across space and time, the pavilion grows with its deterioration and assimilation into the natural landscape of Oaxaca, Mexico. With minimal use of materials, it finds its maximum expression for presenting and nurturing the Guayacan plant — an endemic tree included in the Semarnat list of endangered species.

On the site of Casa Wabi — an arts centre located in Puerto Escondido, Mexico — and with support from the Environmental Management Unit (UMA), Ambrosi Etchegaray developed the Guayacan Pavilion as a nursery for the care and reproduction of the endangered Guayacan plant species.

While the architecture serves as a medium for the natural bucolic expressions being cultivated, the pavilion invites users and visitors to descend into the pathways beneath the level of the ground. This allows for a closer interaction with the trees and perception of the temperature, the humidity of the atmosphere, the flow of air and the relationship between the species and the groundwater.

Through its picturesque, imperfect beauty and austerity, the pavilion opens with a large shaded entrance threshold that serves as a resting place for workers and visitors. The Guayacan Pavilion offers visitors the chance to walk among the seedlings and ensue upon a sequence of work tables that are the remains of the excavation.

With this level change, the design team seeks to care for the environment as well as to respect those who work there, reducing the physical exertion of workers as they clean and care for the new trees.

Via designboom