The seventeenth architect to be commissioned to design the Serpentine pavilion has been announced as Francis Kéré. The principle architect at Kéré Architecture in Berlin becomes the first African to design a structure for the site in west London.
Known for his stripped-back structures, Kéré’s design is certainly a shift away from the site’s most recent commissions. A huge wooden disc will hover above Kensington Gardens’ lawn, supported by a steel framework. Inspired by the tree that serves as a central meeting point in his home village of Gando, Burkino Faso, the design aims to connect visitors to nature under its canopy.
At the forefront of Kéré’s thinking was dealing with London’s unpredictable weather. “In Burkino Faso I am accustomed to being confronted with climate and natural landscape as a harsh reality,” he said.
“For this reason, I was interested in how my contribution to this royal park could not only enhance the visitor’s experience of nature, but also provoke a new way for people to connect with each other.”
The design will make good use of any wet weather, with an oculus funnelling water from the roof into a waterfall effect before being used to irrigate the surrounding park.
In addition, the walls and roof will be made from perforated wood, which by night will become a source of illumination due to small gaps releasing light from inside.
Yana Peel, Serpentine Galleries CEO, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director, said in a statement: “Kéré’s design highlights the power of simplicity by reducing architecture to its core elements, modelled in harmony with the natural context of Royal Kensington Gardens.”
The Serpentine’s pavilion commission was first conceived in 2000 by former director Julia Peyton-Jones and has become an international site for architectural experimentation, presenting projects by some of the world’s best known architects. Past commissions include Frank Gehry (2008), Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei (2012) and SelgasCano (2015).
The Serpentine pavilion will be open 23 June – 8 October 2017.
Images:
1. Serpentine Pavilion 2017, Designed by Francis Kéré, Design Render, Exterior. © Kéré Architecture
2. Serpentine Pavilion 2017, Designed by Francis Kéré, Design Render, Interior. © Kéré Architecture
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