This summer's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, designed by japanese duo Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA will be open to the public (12 July- 18 October). This is the ninth pavilion in the series and is the architects' first built project in the UK.
Describing their structure the architects say:
‘the pavilion is floating aluminum, drifting freely between the trees like smoke. the reflective canopy undulates across the site, expanding the park and sky. its appearance changes according to the weather, allowing it to melt into the surroundings. it works as a field of activity with no walls, allowing uninterrupted view across the park and encouraging access from all sides. it is a sheltered extension of the park where people can read, relax and enjoy lovely summer days.’
‘the pavilion is floating aluminum, drifting freely between the trees like smoke. the reflective canopy undulates across the site, expanding the park and sky. its appearance changes according to the weather, allowing it to melt into the surroundings. it works as a field of activity with no walls, allowing uninterrupted view across the park and encouraging access from all sides. it is a sheltered extension of the park where people can read, relax and enjoy lovely summer days.’
Separate areas within the pavilion contain spaces for a café and an auditorium, where the park nights events program will be presented, including performances, talks, film screenings and the Serpentine Gallery poetry marathon.
Full details of the pavilion can be found here and you can see the guardian's images from the press preview of the pavilion here.
The Pavilion architects to date are: Frank Gehry, 2008; Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen, 2007; Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond, with Arup, 2006; Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond, Arup, 2005; MVRDV with Arup, 2004 (un-realised); Oscar Niemeyer, 2003; Toyo Ito with Arup, 2002; Daniel Libeskind with Arup, 2001; and Zaha Hadid, 2000.
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009 Designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, Satellite image courtesy of Terraserver. Image Credits : Graeme Roberston.
SANAA’s numerous celebrated buildings include a satellite of the Louvre Museum in Lens, France; Toledo Museum of Art's Glass Pavilion in Toledo, Ohio, USA; the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, USA, and the extension of the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern in Valencia, Spain.
The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York
