This year’s structure is by Bjarke Ingels Group or BIG. The idea is simple; take the simplest to element in architecture – the wall – and unzip it, to form a hall inside.
This year’s structure is by Bjarke Ingels Group or BIG. The idea is simple; take the simplest to element in architecture – the wall – and unzip it, to form a hall inside. It’s made up of thousands of translucent fibreglass blocks, which are stacked on top of each other to form a wall that appears to have been pulled apart.
“What we’ve tried to do is create a sort of mountainous landscape on the outside and a cavernous canyon on the inside,” says Ingels the architect.
We loved how the simplicity behind a simple rectangle can create such dramatic sweeping curves. Even on a dull and cloudy day the bluish-grey light filtering in through the translucent fibreglass blocks was beautiful and calming and we could imagine that with the sun shining it would be even more impressive.
It’s open throughout the summer until 9 October 2016.
www.serpentinegalleries.org
This year there are also four folly-like summer houses a short walk from the pavilion. Designed by Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi, Berlin studio Barkow Leibinger, Paris-based architect Yona Friedman and British architect Asif Khan, they’re designed to reference the Queen Caroline’s Temple in Kensington Gardens.
We enjoyed strolling through Kensington Gardens, spotting the friendly heron and watching the resident green parakeets feeding from the hands of willing tourists. We had a simple but yummy lunch of sandwiches and salads at the Italian Gardens café, which overlooks the ponds, planting and water features of the pretty Italian Gardens (Lancaster Gate).
