A London-based design practice has designed a belvedere pavilion clad in pale cedar shingles.

Named ‘Perspectives’, the pavilion by Giles Miller Studio acts as a shelter for bushwalkers at the Surrey Hills parkland in Southern England, a landscape not unlike Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges or South Australia’s Belair National Park.

Located at the edge of Winterfold Woods, the naturalistic pavilion features a cedar wood skin that is reminiscent of a pine cone. The shingles at the rear of the hideout are closed, providing protection against the weather. At the front, they open up, allowing for views, light and air.

The steel structure of the pavilion consists of two parts weighing 230kg each, which sits on a pre-cast concrete foundation.  

Similar to the words and messages people inscribe into trees and benches, Giles Miller Studio etched declarations of love and other types of messages contributed by local schools, residents and project participants into individual shingles.

The designers hope their sculptural project will age naturally over time and take on a texture like that of a tree trunk. 

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The pine-cone-like pavilion stands on earthy ground at the edge of Winterfold Woods in Southern England

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Giles Miller Studio etched declarations of love and other types of messages contributed by locals into individual shingles

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The shingles open up at the front of the structure, allowing for views, light and air

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The steel structure of the pavilion consists of two parts weighing 230kg each, which sits on a pre-cast concrete foundation. Image: Giles Miller Studio

Photography by Richard Chivers and John Miller