SERPENTINE PAVILION -

LONDON

Sejima and Nishizawa created a stunning Pavilion that resembled a reflective cloud or a floating pool of water, sitting atop a series of delicate columns. 

The metal roof structure varied in height, wrapping itself around the trees in the park, reaching up towards the sky and sweeping down almost to the ground in various places. Open and ephemeral in structure, its reflective materials made it sit seamlessly within the natural environment, reflecting both the park and sky around it. 

The Pavilion was the architects' first built structure in the UK and the 9th commission in the Gallery's annual series of Pavilions, the world's first and most ambitious architectural programme of its kind that annually gives preeminent architects their debut in this country and brings the best of contemporary architecture to London for everyone to enjoy. 

Separate areas within the Pavilion contained spaces for a café and an auditorium, where the Park Nights events programme was presented, including performances, talks, film screenings and the Serpentine Gallery Poetry Marathon. 

Photo credits: Iwan Baan.