Getting on tourists’ maps

Until now.

A new pavilion designed to bring visitors to the islands is scheduled to formally open tomorrow on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the first new structure to be constructed in the downtown parks. The pavilion includes kiosks where ferry tickets will be sold and lighted panels that contain information on the history, ecology, and topography of the islands.

“We hope the pavilion will act as a gateway to a phenomenal resource within close reach of Boston,’’ said Thomas Powers, the president of the Boston Harbor Islands Alliance, a nonprofit group that helped fund and develop the structure. “First and foremost, this is about bringing activity to these islands.’’

Located opposite Faneuil Hall, the pavilion features a pair of concrete canopies that provide shelter for the two kiosks and a 2,000-square-foot map showing the location of the 34 Harbor Islands. Visitors can consult with park rangers and find information on recreational opportunities such as hiking, fishing, and camping.

The design of the pavilion is both eye-catching and practical. Its concrete canopies curve in a wave-like pattern, and also serve as a drain that feeds rainwater to a splash pool at the center of the downtown park, adding a dramatic waterfall effect during storms. The splash pool then waters the surrounding lawn and shade trees.

The canopies are also covered with solar panels that will provide enough electricity to power the kiosks.

“The net result is concrete roofs that look impossibly light, like they could float away,’’ wrote Tim Love, an architect with Utile Inc., a Boston firm that designed the structure. Also collaborating on the design were the landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand and IDEO, a design and consulting firm.

The pavilion will also include video art installations on large LED screens that are widely visible at night. The DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum in Lincoln is working with the alliance to design a long-term art program for the facility.

The opening ceremony for the pavilion tomorrow at 11 a.m. is expected to include Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Construction was funded in part with $5 million from the National Park Service that was secured by Kennedy and members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation. Other donors included local family foundations and the alliance’s board of directors.

Designated a national park in 1996, the Boston Harbor Islands boast 35 miles of undeveloped shoreline within 10 miles of Boston.

More than 135,000 people visited the islands by boat in 2009, a 44 percent increase since 2006, according to the most recent annual report of the alliance.

The islands also play host to an array of popular events, such as Thursday evening clambakes hosted by Jasper White’s Summer Shack, as well as theater performances, concerts, art shows, and vintage baseball games.

“I’d be surprised if the new facility on the Greenway doesn’t add 20 percent to our visitor totals,’’ said Powers, the alliance president. “We’ll take any opportunity we can get to introduce people to this resource.’’

Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.