This pavilion provides a focus for a tranquil landscaped garden at King’s Cross. The new garden, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith, is loosely based on the design of Bagh-e Fin in Iran, dating from the 16th century and perhaps the most celebrated and iconic of all surviving Persian gardens. In response, the pavilion is inspired by that at Chetel Sotun in Iran – literally translated “forty columns”. Situated within the highest point of the garden, this structure defines the centre of the space, which is arranged as a fourfold garden or chahar bagh. It acts as a central ordering device to accentuate the focus of the garden, helping to define a hierarchy and sequence of experiences.

The transparent nature of the pavilion creates focus without dominating its surroundings. It sits upon a central route within the garden, which is reinforced by a channel of water welling up adjacent to the pavilion which then runs along the north-south axis of the garden in the form of a rill, taking advantage of the level changes across the site. The roof of the pavilion is decorated with a Penrose pattern, a non-repeating pattern developed by mathematician and physicist, Sir Roger Penrose. The pattern produces a delicate dappled light and like the garden fuses Persian and Western influences.