In Pictures: The 2013 Serpentine Pavilion By Sou Fujimoto

Dean Nicholas
By Dean Nicholas Last edited 129 months ago
In Pictures: The 2013 Serpentine Pavilion By Sou Fujimoto
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The view from within
The view from within
Steps leading up on the outside
Steps leading up on the outside
Plastic discs provide shelter from the elements
Plastic discs provide shelter from the elements
The cafe / bar area
The cafe / bar area
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Sou Fujimoto (centre), flanked by Serpentine Gallery director Julia Peyton-Jones and David Glover of Aecom
Sou Fujimoto (centre), flanked by Serpentine Gallery director Julia Peyton-Jones and David Glover of Aecom

For this year's Serpentine Pavilion — the annual commission given to an architect yet to build in Britain — Sou Fujimoto has produced a densely packed lattice of steel poles, designed to resemble a cloud.

Bathed in the ethereal morning light of an improbable English summer's day, the structure does exactly that. The sun shimmers off the white metal, throwing unusual shapes and shadows onto the surrounding foliage. Move around and the density of the poles creates a different effect, with the pavilion at times seeming to evaporate into the air; in reality it looks surprisingly like the CGI images promised it would. Get up close and it starts to look like a climbing frame. The rectilinear construction (disappointingly interrupted by handrails that health and safety no doubt mandated) has a mesmerising effect. This is one of the more elegant and celestial entries in the Serpentine Pavilion's 13-year history.

Resplendent as the pavilion looked this morning, with only a relatively small number of beard-stroking architecture and design mavens strolling around, we wonder how it'll fare on a wet weekend, or when the summer crowds pack it out.

The Serpentine Pavilion is located outside the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. It is open from 8 June - 20 October.

Last Updated 04 June 2013