The opening of the Serpentine Pavilion marks the beginning of the London summer – this year with a design in brick created by LANZA atelier. Based in Mexico City the architectural studio, launched in 2015 by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, is known for an experimental craft-like approach working with traditional materials. In previous projects they have incorporated individual curving structures and enclosures. In 2022 they were listed for the Brick Award for the Forest House, a residential building with curving outlines designed to accommodate existing trees. For the Serpentine Pavilion, they explored the idea of a curving wall with symbolic and historical references, rather than constrictions of the site as a formal driver.
A curving architectural form in the proximity of the Serpentine lake on Kensington Gardens lawn, the 2026 Summer Pavilion is titled a serpentine. Through their interest towards materiality, the architects studied historical construction methods taking as one reference the Serpentine South Gallery building in brick, which originally served as a teahouse, and is now host to the temporary Pavilion. Their design creates continuity with the traditional aesthetic quality of the gallery building.
It’s the first time in the 25 year old history of the Summer Pavilion commissions, it was conceived out of brick. Inspired by undulating forms in brick construction going back to ancient Egypt, the architects took the structural properties of the so-called crinkle-crankle garden walls in England as the key formal inspiration, taking the opportunity to showcase the beauty of traditional building materials on this exceptional central location. In recent years there has been an emphasis on ecological material solutions in the Pavilion designs, particularly timber, as seen in previous projects by Minsuk Cho, Lina Ghotmeh and Theaster Gates.
In 20th century architecture curved brick walls were seen as a shift away from the strict formal Modernist aesthetic, as one of the hallmarks in Alvar Aalto’s architecture. The Pavilion by LANZA atelier can be understood with a similar objective in today’s context: an alternative to the widespread sense of lightness and transparency of minimalist architecture and design, the wave-like forms in brick providing a different tactile experience, a felt presence of materiality.
The 244 m2 floor area is also constructed of bricks, laid out carefully, following the winding pattern of the walls. A translucent steel structure acts as the roof, hovering above the brick walls and a set of posts made of stacked bricks. The light-coloured ceiling structure, designed in the the style of a high-tech truss, allows air and light to circulate within the building. This element creates a formal and material contrast with the textured presence of the walls, while adhering to the curving edges. The metal parts of the ceiling cast shadows on the ground when the sun comes out, breaking in with the effect of the light coming through the small vertical gaps on the walls.
The meaning of the wall as a spatial divider evokes political connotations: the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, or the wall between Mexico and the US as a border and territorial marker. But here the wall can be experienced as an element that shapes and celebrates a space within the garden. Instead of imposing division, the walls define the landscape, aiming to create harmony between nature and architecture. Isabel Abascal talks about ’the correct order’ between elements and materials. In the press release she also brings up the notion of paradise in relation to the garden, which requires a degree of human organisation: ”But what is paradise? It is not the deep green womb of the jungle, where beasts roam free. No, a paradise is somehow restrained; cut down to human scale.”
At the end of October, when the Pavilion closes, everything will be dismantled. The temporary nature of the structure sets constraints on its design, but is simultaneously a great exercise for imagining and testing the potential for flexible systems. The building is designed to be movable and ecological in that sense. Instead of a traditional bonding of bricks together with mortar, the walls are assembled using a metal support structure, which slightly alters the acoustic quality of brick, but allows for the Pavilion to be moved to another location.
Open for the public to visit for free throughout the summer, the Pavilion is one of the most popular architecture exhibition destinations in the whole world, and the concept has inspired similar projects elsewhere. Hearing who has been commissioned for the next Serpentine Pavilion is always exciting news, discovering the architects and seeing their full-scale project showcased in the Royal Parks of London. Previous pavilions have been acquired by contemporary art centres, for example Frank Gehry’s pavilion can be visited at the sculpture park at Château La Coste in the South of France, and the Smiljan Radic pavilion at the Hauser & Wirth art gallery’s Somerset outpost in England.
As the design and construction are completed in six months, the schedule is tight. For the structural design and choice of materials AECOM engineering firm has been part of the collaboration as technical advisors for 13 consecutive years now. The budget is fixed from the start, with support from the global financial firm Goldman Sachs. This year for the first time, Rolex is also providing support through its Perpetual Arts Initiative programme.
Serpentine Pavilion, 6 June – 25 October 2026