They are outside, with plenty of fresh air flowing through. Yet they also define a room or a series of rooms. And they provide shade, and a place to relax. ⛱

Are pavilions the ideal placemaking structure?

Seems like they are. They are piling up in your YouTube feed. 

Here's one of the first pavilions to pop up. 

20+ pavilions here:

Pavilions are simple. Generally "lightly-constructed." And they always provide something that is becoming increasingly necessary and important: shade.

And, as Merriam-Webster confirms, the word has strong connotations of "luxury," "sumpturousness," and "color."

What's not to like?

Three more pavilions in this playlist: