How might we improve the visitor experience to the Museum Campus area?
GoArchitect designed a new pavilion along the water to provide restrooms, food, and social gathering space.
We hope this design sparks dialogue about bold new ways to elevate Chicago’s cultural standing.
Sol Pavilion
Sol Pavilion is a warm and welcoming landmark along Chicago’s Museum Campus—a place where sunlight, craftsmanship, and the community meet. Designed with sustainable heavy timber, the pavilion’s lattice canopy filters the sky into a shifting pattern of light and shadow, creating a calm refuge along Lake Michigan.
Sol Pavilion is an open-air living room for the lakefront. Visitors can rest, reflect, or enjoy a bite from the small vendor kiosks tucked beneath its wooden canopy. Thoughtfully integrated restrooms and shaded seating make the pavilion both beautiful and deeply functional—a true civic amenity. Its grand steps face the harbor, offering a gentle amphitheater where people gather to watch sailboats drift by, enjoy the horizon, or wait for the Water Taxi. From sunrise warmth to evening glow, Sol Pavilion invites Museum Campus visitors to slow down, stay longer, and connect with the simple joy of being by the water.
