Memorable events in our human experience are often associated with memorable places. Places can shape our experience of emotions and our ability to connect with one another. This is perhaps the most significant role of architecture in society: to shape, uplift and even restore humanity by creating space for meaningful experiences. The Chrysalis was conceived to be a one-of-a-kind place that is delightful and unexpected – a project that is transformative to its surroundings as a special place of cultural significance. The Chrysalis is at once a performance stage, park pavilion and sculpture, serving as a destination within the park as well as a venue for large shows and festivals. The high-performance structure is designed to accommodate major programs with two prosceniums for small or large performances. Additionally, it can flexibly host a variety of events as a simple outdoor shelter.

The design team developed the Chrysalis to be an organic form that seems simultaneously natural yet highly tectonic, presenting a convergence of oppositional readings as both integrated with its forested surroundings and distinct from it. The geometry responds to site conditions such as tree locations, grading and orientation while also forming apertures for viewing and performing. The result is a see-through sculptural object that demands to be experienced in the round, ever changing for the viewer.

To achieve this, the design process entailed a unique level of collaboration, blurring the lines between architecture, structural engineering, and fabrication. The fully integrated design process exclusively utilized digital models for communication and coordination over traditional 2D orthographic projections. As such, the Chrysalis required innovative approaches to analysis, design, and detailing, at each turn requiring optimization that challenged standard courses of practice. In this way, the Chrysalis is exceptional not only for its dynamic form and presence, but also for the fully integrated, interdisciplinary design process that brought it to realization.