Introduction

Cities are increasingly dense, fast-paced, and fragmented, leaving little room for moments of rest, interaction, and reflection. Pocket parks—small, often overlooked urban spaces—have the potential to become powerful social condensers when thoughtfully designed. The Urban Pocket Park Pavilion competition invites designers to reimagine a compact pavilion that transforms residual urban land into a meaningful public realm for pause, play, and presence.

Objective

The objective of this competition is to design an adaptable pavilion for an urban pocket park that encourages rest, play, social interaction, and mindful presence. Participants are challenged to create a small yet impactful architectural intervention that enhances everyday urban life through inclusive, human-centered design.

The Building Program

The pavilion may include (but is not limited to):

• Shaded seating or resting areas

• Spaces for informal play or interaction

• Flexible zones for community use

• Integration of landscape elements

• Climatic responsiveness (shade, ventilation, rain protection)

The program should remain open-ended, allowing designers to interpret how pause, play, and presence manifest spatially.

Site

Participants may choose any hypothetical or real urban pocket park site within a dense city context. The site should typically be:

• Small in scale

• Embedded within an urban fabric

• Surrounded by pedestrian activity

Designs should respond to urban context, climate, and community use rather than a fixed geographic location.