Serpentine Gallery’s Summer Pavilion Designed By Francis Kéré
The Summer Pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery in London has become a seasonal design highlight designed by the likes of Frank Gehry, Bjarke Ingels, Herzog & de Meuron and the late Zaha Hadid. This year the Summer Pavilion is designed by Francis Kéré, the architect from Burkina Faso who is known for his innovative thought-provoking, interactive and colourful installations. The Summer Pavilion is an open structure where visitors can sit, order food from the food cafe, as well as playing host to a programme of events throughout the summer season.
Kéré’s structure is a round design inspired by a tree and it’s. The tree symbolises by a sense of gathering, and is inspired by the African architect’s heritage whereby a tree is a typical meeting place in many African communities,
In my home village of Gando, it is always easy to locate a celebration at night by climbing to higher ground and searching for light in the surrounding darkness. This small light becomes larger as more and more people arrive. – Diébédo Francis Kéré, architect
The space will be filled with dappled light courtesy of a steel-framed roof and perforated blue walls that are clad in reclaimed timber salvaged from construction waste, and a clear polycarbonate layer will be added to keep out the rain, given the unpredictable British weather. The materials used are characteristic of Kéré’s focus on sustainability in his buildings, where he often uses local materials, in keeping with local traditions.
The main pavilion is accompanied by a series of smaller Summer Houses commissioned from prominent architects and designers, 2016 saw Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi design one of the Houses.
Additional details:
For further information about The Summer Pavilion visit: www.standard.co.uk
For further information about Francis Kéré visit: www.kere-architecture.com
[Image credits: The images shown are sourced from The Evening Standard. If downloaded and used elsewhere, please credit accordingly.]
