A pink-concrete canopy shelters a seating area around a small garden at the Courtyard Pavilion in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, designed by local studio Rashid Ali Architects.
Hargeisa and London studio Rashid Ali Architects designed the pavilion as a social space, complete with a water fountain and a “miniature botanical garden”.
Its design draws on the civic role of trees in the area and features native plants from across Somaliland, the state that declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Internationally, it is still considered to be part of Somalia.
“The tree has a unique role in the culture of Somalis,” the studio’s founder Rashid Ali told Dezeen.
“Historically, it’s a space where stories are shared, ceremonies are held and disputes are settled,” Ali added. “At the site, there once stood a famous acacia tree that formed a symbol of civic life.”
“The structure attempts to pay homage to this beloved tree, by reimagining and reconstructing its former role in the city.”
Located on a triangular site, the Courtyard Pavilion sits on a concrete base wrapped by a low wall. A small garden at its center is surrounded by bench-like concrete seating and a public water fountain.
Thin columns support the pitched canopy above, shading the seating areas while allowing sunlight onto the garden through a large central void.
The distinctive reddish-pink color of the concrete canopy and columns was drawn from the red sand found in the regions surrounding the city.
“The idea was to provide a durable and colorful form that gives a sense of permanence,” Ali told Dezeen.
“Formally, there is also an oblique reference to the temporary wooden structures on stilts found in small villages across the region,” the architect continued.
As well as referencing the previous tree on the site, Courtyard Pavilion aims to promote the need to sustain native plant ecosystems in urban areas.
“The idea of inserting plants in the heart of the pavilion is to offer experiential contrast to the immediate and surrounding city spaces, which can feed hard and noisy,” Rashid Ali told Dezeen.
“Some of the plants will, over time, exceed the height of the canopy and further soften the intense mid-day sunlight through the void,” he continued.
Rashid Ali Architects, formerly known as RA Projects, was founded by Ali in 2011. Previous projects by the studio include the refurbishment of a house owned by fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic that features a blue steel staircase designed to look “like a sculpture in a gallery”.
Also, a 30m² common room for Hargeisa Town Hall in Hargeisa Municipality Headquarters that was designed by Rashid Ali Architects and constructed by a local carpenter and students from the nearby university’s school of architecture won the AJ Small Projects 2021 award
The arrival of summer in the northern hemisphere has seen the completion of several other pavilion projects, including a tree-filled “floating forest” in Milan by Italian architect Stefano Boeri and London’s annual Serpentine Pavilion, which was designed by artist Theaster Gates this year.
The photography is by Lyndon Douglas.
