Avenham Park Pavilion, Preston

The Avenham Park Pavillion is a contemporary addition to one of Yorkshire's most historic landscapes. Conceived as part of a wider regeneration programme, the pavillion provides flexibles spaces for cultural events, community gatherings, and leisure activities throughout the year. Its design responds to the challenge of integrating modern architecture within a Victorian park setting, combining bold geometric form with materials that complement the natural surroundings. Expansive glazing plays a central role in this concept, creating visual connections to the park and the River Ribble while ensuring light-filled interiors that support the building's civic purpose.

Architectural Vision and Design Intent

The pavillion was conceived as a focal point within a historic park, requiring a design that could stand out as a contemporary landmark while respecting its Victorian context. The winning scheme from the RIBA competition achieved this balance through a sculptural form that feels bold and sympathetic to its surroundings. Its geometry introduces a dynamic presence without overwhelming the natural landscape, creating a dialogue between heritage and modernity.

Material selection was central to this vision. A refined palette of zinc cladding, timber, aluminium, and high-performance glass was chosen for its durability and aesthetic harmony. Zinc provides a crisp, modern finish that complements the building's angular roofline, while timber detailing introduces warmth and a tactile quality that resonates with the park's organic character. Aluminium framing supports the extensive glazing, enabling slender profiles and structural integrity, while glass ensures transparency and light - key to the pavillion's role as an open, inviting civic space.

This combination of materials and form reflects a design intent rooted in accessibility, sustainability, and architectural expression. The Avenham Park pavillion isn't just a functional hub for the community but also a statement for how contemporary architecture can enhance historic landscapes through thoughtful integration and technical precision.

Glazing that Connects People and Place

Expansive aluminium curtain walling from TECHNAL was fundamental to realising the architectural vision for Avenham Park Pavillion. The system allowed the design team to achieve a facade that is both visually striking and technically robust. This maximises daylight, creates transparency and reinforces the building's civic purpose.

The curtain walling is faceted to follow the pavillion's curved footprint, particularly on the north elevation where it gently wraps around an open-air performance space. This approach softens the building's angular geometry and establishes a seamless connection between interior spaces and the surrounding parkland. From inside, the glazing frames the views of the River Ribble and landscaped gardens, enhancing the visitor experience and sense of place.

Beyond aesthetics, the TECHNAL solution delivered the flexibility required for a bespoke specification. Slim aluminium profiles support large glass panels, ensuring uninterrupted sightlines while maintaining structural integrity. The system's modular adaptability allowed the architects to vary grid widths across the facade, introducing rhythm and avoiding visual monotony. Combined with custom timber detailing and contrasting horizontal profiles, the result is a facade that harmonises with its natural context while expressing contemporary design.

Crucially, the curtain walling provides the thermal and weather performance needed for year-round use, supporting the pavillion's role as a cultural and community hub. Manufactured using high-quality aluminium, the facade offers durability and sustainability - aligned with the project's ambition to create a landmark that will serve generations to come.

Summary

Avenham Park Pavillion demonstrates how thoughtful design and advanced aluminium glazing solutions can transform a historic setting into a vibrant, modern civic space. By combining faceted curtain walling with bespoke detailing and high-performance materials, the project achieves openness, durability, and architectural harmony, supporting cultural life while meeting year-round performance requirements.

TECHNAL's curtain walling provided the flexibility and technical precision needed to realise this vision, delivering slim sightlines, structural integrity, and thermal efficiency. Made with recyclable aluminium, the solution reflects a commitment to design excellence and environmental responsibility.

TECHNAL works with architects, contractors, and fabricators across the UK and Ireland to deliver bespoke aluminium façade solutions that combine design freedom with technical excellence. Discover more about our products and sustainability credentials or contact our team for specification support on your next project.