Designed by Williams students in the Fall 2023 “Design for the Pluriverse” tutorial, the Pluriverse Pavilion is a hub for exhibitions, environmental justice discussions, workshops, performances, and meetings. The students wanted it to especially provide a welcoming space for mindfulness and relaxation, promoting holistic well-being where people can relax, study, meditate, or connect. 

Grounded in the “pluriverse” concept by Colombian-American anthropologist Arturo Escobar,^[1] the Pavilion embraces multiple ways of being in the world, inviting diverse engagement from various Williams communities, individuals, local groups, and beyond.

Bringing together art, architecture, and environmental studies, the Pavilion encourages reflection on the values behind design decisions. It challenges students to consider the impact of extracting architectural materials and urges responsibility in creative work.

This project has given students the opportunity to transform ideas into physical form. It is a hands-on learning experience, bridging theory and practice through what Richard Sennett calls “material consciousness,” connecting intellectual thought with tangible creation.

^[1] Escobar, Arturo. Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds. Duke University Press, 2018. “Pluriverse” refers to various ways of being in the world. The Pavilion employs theories and approaches from design activism and critical environmental studies to analyze the relationship between space and difference, including, but not limited to, race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, and species.

Read more at https://designforthepluriverse.com/