serpentine gallery, london

Each Summer, the Serpentine commissions an internationally acclaimed architect to design a temporary Pavilion for its lawn. The programme is unique worldwide. Conceived by Julia Peyton-Jones, Director, Serpentine Gallery, the project represents a rare opportunity for architects to create a more experimental structure in the United Kingdom, where none of those invited has ever built before. Those selected previously are Zaha Hadid, 2000, Daniel Libeskind with Arup, 2001, Toyo Ito with Arup, 2002, Oscar Niemeyer, 2003, MVRDV, 2004 (unrealised) and Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond with Arup, 2005, Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond, with Arup, 2006.

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2003
by Oscar Niemeyer

‘Imagine Garbo or Sinatra in their prime, and performing now. With this week’s opening of the 2003 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, just such a time-warping miracle is taking place.’ Evening Standard

The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2003 was both simple and ingenious. Built in steel, aluminium, concrete and glass, its ruby-red ramp contrasted with the surprise of a partly submerged auditorium, affording views across the park. It also housed specially conceived wall drawings by Niemeyer. The Pavilion conformed to Niemeyer’s principle that every project must be capable of summary in a simple ‘sketch’ and that once the support structure is finished the architecture should be more or less complete.

serpentine gallery, kensington gardens