Concrete garden pavilion by Metropolis offers outdoor dining to a Cape Town villa
South African studio Metropolis has completed a concrete pavilion in the grounds of a house in Cape Town, featuring sheltered seating and dining areas with views of nearby Table Mountain (+ slideshow).
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
The Midden Garden Pavilion was designed by Cape Town-based Metropolis as part of the renovation of the villa and its grounds in the affluent suburb of Constantia.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_4.jpg)
The owners wanted to introduce a pavilion to their large terraced garden to allow them to entertain guests while also enjoying views of the nearby mountains and coastline.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_7.jpg)
Situated at the southern end of the grounds, on a site overlooked by the main house, the pavilion is made up of a series of thick concrete slabs.
These combine to create a shelter that extends out from the hillside. The roof canopy rests on walls at the rear and is supported by a slender pillar at the front, creating an expansive open area beneath.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_9.jpg)
"The abstract form is neither purely aesthetic nor purely rational," claimed Metropolis.
"It is conceived to be elemental, of itself, more of an object than a building, which can compete in its perceptual power with the strength of the surrounding landscape on the one had and the artificiality of its immediate surroundings on the other."
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_8.jpg)
An enclosed space at one end shelters benches incorporated into the structure, surrounding a fire pit and its suspended chimney.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_13.jpg)
A large dining table occupies the central area, with a food preparation counter also positioned below the roof.
There is also a work surface that extends along one wall, towards an open-air patio incorporating a barbecue.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town-fireplace_dezeen_936_10.jpg)
A small kitchen and food storage space are located in the block that stretches back to meet the hillside. A toilet and outdoor shower are tucked away behind the kitchen.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town-fireplace_dezeen_936_11.jpg)
The pavilion occupies an area where an extravagant water feature with cascades, ponds and fountains was previously located. Only one pond and fountain remain, and the building sits alongside.
"[The owners] requested that it be toned down and incorporated into a meaningful outdoor relaxation area for the appreciation of the back of Table Mountain to the north," explained the architects.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
The fountain sits in front of some existing steps incorporated into a raised bank, which the architects extended to form a natural basin around the pavilion.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
Wooden decking forms the flooring within the pavilion, but also extends towards the garden at the front and rear, accentuating the axis between the fountain and the villa.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
"The building is intended to be of nature: to contain a distillation of landscape which then allows it to be naturally contained by its surroundings," the team added.
![The Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
Other recent designs for garden pavilions include a small smoking room in Zurich made from slightly translucent concrete, and a cedar-clad office-cum-yoga studio at the end of a garden in London.
Project credits:
Architects: Metropolis
Structural engineer: Sutherland & Associates Ltd
Quantity surveyor: Shevel and Simpson
Project manager: Roger Hindmarch
Contractor: Batir Construction
![Site Plan of the Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town-site-plan_dezeen_1.gif)
![Plan of the Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town-plan_dezeen_2.gif)
![Sections of the Midden Garden Pavilion in Cape Town by Metropolis](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/02/midden-garden-pavilion-metropolis-concrete-cape-town-sections_dezeen_3.gif)