Herzog & de Meuron . Ai Weiwei

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012 . London

Herzog & de Meuron . Ai Weiwei . serpentine gallery . photos: © 2012 Iwan Baan

This year's Pavilion will take visitors beneath the Serpentine's lawn to explore the hidden history of its previous Pavilions.

Eleven columns characterising each past Pavilion and a twelfth column representing the current structure will support a floating platform roof 1.4 metres above ground. The Pavilion's interior will be clad in cork, a sustainable building material chosen for its unique qualities and to echo the excavated earth. Taking an archaeological approach, the architects have created a design that will inspire visitors to look beneath the surface of the park as well as back in time across the ghosts of the earlier structures.
The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion will operate as a public space and as a venue for Park Nights, the Gallery's high-profile programme of public talks and events.