Work under way on pavilion which opens next month
Construction of this year’s Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, is underway.
The walls, constructed from a lattice of cement roof tiles, are already partially complete.
Eventually they will form a celosia, a traditional breeze wall common to Mexican architecture. Taking the shape of two rectangular boxes positioned at an angle, they will enclose a courtyard.
The outer walls will be aligned with the Serpentine Gallery’s eastern façade, while the axis of the internal courtyard will align directly to the north.
The pavilion will feature two elements which will highlight the movement of light and shadow inside the structure over the course of the day. The curved underside of its canopy will be clad with mirrored panels. And a triangular pool will be cast into the pavilion’s floor.
Internal courtyards are a common feature of Mexican domestic architecture, while the pavilion’s pivoted axis is a nod to the Greenwich Meridian.
Construction of the annual temporary structure is being carried out by Stage One Creative Services, which oversaw the building of last year’s pavilion designed by Kéré Architecture.
Aecom – working with Intelligent Engineering boss and former Aecom building engineering chief executive David Glover – is looking after engineering and technical design services on the project.
It is due to open to the public on June 15.
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