Serpentine Pavilion 2017

Berlin-Based Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré Makes His Mark In London
Published On: 7/11/17
Netflix has a great series titled Abstract: The Art Of Design. This series takes an in-depth look at different artistic fields. Architecture is one of them and it features Bjarke Ingels' 2016 design for London's Serpentine Pavilion. This year, beaming blue amongst the trees of Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park, is the pavilion by chosen Berlin-based architect Diébédo Francis Kéré.

View of the Serpentine Gallery from the pavilion
What Is The Serpentine Pavilion
Each year the Serpentine Gallery invites an international architect or design team to create a pavilion on the grounds. The criteria being that the designers/architects have not completed a building in England at the time of the Gallery's invitation. Each pavilion must be completed within six months and is situated on the Gallery’s lawn for three months for the public to explore. Kéré is the 17th architect to accept the invitation to design a temporary pavilion. It was open to the public on June 27th and has now been extended to be on display until Nov 17th.

Pavilion in relationship to the Gallery
Past contributors include Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind and Ai Weiwei, just to name a few. Each design has dramatically changed the way visitors experience the gardens. Below is an overview of past participants throughout the years.

Image 1 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2000 by Zaha Hadid

Image 2 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2000 by Zaha Hadid

Image 3 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2001 by Daniel Libeskind

Image 4 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2001 by Daniel Libeskind

Image 5 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2002 by Toyo Ito and Cecil Balmond with Arup

Image 6 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2002 by Toyo Ito and Cecil Balmond with Arup

Image 7 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2005 by Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond- Arup

Image 8 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2005 by Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond- Arup

Image 9 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2006 by Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond with Arup

Image 10 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2006 by Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond with Arup

Image 11 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2007 by Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen

Image 12 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2007 by Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen

Image 13 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2008 by Frank Gehry

Image 14 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2008 by Frank Gehry

Image 15 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009 by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA

Image 16 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009 by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA

Image 17 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010 by Jean Nouvel

Image 18 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010 by Jean Nouvel

Image 19 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011 by Peter Zumthor

Image 20 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011 by Peter Zumthor

Image 21 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012 by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Image 22 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012 by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei

Image 23 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 by Sou Fujimoto

Image 24 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 by Sou Fujimoto

Image 25 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2014 by Smiljan Radić

Image 26 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2014 by Smiljan Radić

Image 27 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2015 by selgascano

Image 28 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2015 by selgascano

Image 29 of 34 | Serpentine Summer Houses 2016 by Kunlé Adeyemi

Image 30 of 34 | Serpentine Summer Houses 2016 by Barkow Leibinger

Image 31 of 34 | Serpentine Summer Houses 2016 by Yona Friedman

Image 32 of 34 | Serpentine Summer Houses 2016 by Asif Khan

Image 33 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavillion 2016 by Bjarke Ingels

Image 34 of 34 | Serpentine Gallery Pavillion 2016 by Bjarke Ingels


































Francis Kéré's 2017 Serpentine Pavilion
Kéré’s concept for the 2017 pavilion derives from the traditions of Burkina Faso, his land of birth. Here, the tree is a central meeting point for daily life. As such, he wanted to design a pavilion that connects visitors to nature. The pavilion contains an inward sloping wooden slat roof held up by metal beams. This roof mimics a tree arbour providing a balance of sun and shade while protecting visitors from inclement weather.

On our visit, London weather, true to its nature, provided a brief rainstorm to demonstrate the structure’s functionality. As the rain fell, the roof structure directed the rainwater into the centre of the space. Visitors sat on wooden stools or blankets to watch and listen as the drops hit the pebbles below. While doing so, people could purchase refreshments at the bar to refuel and recharge.

Rain Falling
Roof Detail

Seating

The Bar
The pavilion's design is a successful one. The curved walls serve to draw visitors into the centre, while creating extra seating on its opposite side. It encourages visitors to walk around the structure.



Inspired by African textiles, the walls were designed in a geometric pattern with small gaps which allows the surface to play on light and shadow. The design also allows the breeze and sounds to flow in and out of the space continuously, making visitors connected to nature.
The colour is bold indigo blue; hard not to miss among its natural green surroundings. Blue is the colour of celebration in Burkina Faso and appropriately used in this setting.

"Being in Berlin was key for my work... being a vibrant place of art, Berlin influences of course, the way you think of architecture, how you can shape it." - Francis Kéré
Above you can watch the architect speak about his inspiration and goals for the project. He gives insight into life in Burkina Faso and his influences.
What Is Next For Kéré
The Volksbuhne has appointed Kéré to lead the design for a new satellite theatre - a temporary theatre space inside the historic Berlin Tempelhof Airport. It is designed to be a mobile structure with the facade raising or lowering to control visuals and acoustics. It will mark a new chapter in the almost 100 year history of this now decommissioned airport.
- - -
Visit the Serpentine Gallery's website to read more about the concepts behind each pavilion.
Read more about the Volksbuhne Satellite Theater on Kéré's website.
MORE ON ARCHITECTURE
A few months ago we were given the unique opportunity to interview minimalist architectural genius, John Pawson for Issue 28 of The Essential Journal for his new book Spectrum.
Stairs. Rarely does this word spark excitement. Sometimes if you are lucky, these passages to other levels create memorable journeys, other times, it's just about getting from point A to point B. The latter is when we ask the question "…where's the elevator?"
SEE MORE ON INSTAGRAM
A few months ago we were given the unique opportunity to interview minimalist architectural genius, John Pawson for Issue 28 of The Essential Journal for his new book Spectrum.
Exploring the Everyday Woman – How Today’s Woman Looks, Thinks and Dresses
For those of you who aren’t already in the know, we'd like to introduce you to The Gentlewoman, a biannual magazine that's also a club.
Launched in 2010, the magazine has a circulation of just under 100 000 worldwide and is a sister publication to Fantastic Man.
Yet another great appropriation of an English swear word that German culture does so love to play on. And how fitting a title for this divine designer holiday market.
O, the balloon - a symbol of simple joy and celebration. But when installed in settings one wouldn't normally expect, they can deliver visual narratives. Photographer Charles Pétillon is the artist behind the in situ balloon installations where his process begins with the visualization of the final framed image.
Beaming blue amongst the trees of Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park is the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion by chosen Berlin-based Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré.
Meet Sara Shakeel, a Conceptual Collage Artist based in Islamabad, Pakistan. Bored with her former life as a dentist, Sara started exploring the world of collage art.
One of the pioneers of female gaze photography in Russia, Demianova hails from Moscow. At only 28 years old, her images give you the notion that she has already lived a lifetime in her skin, and how she wants to show the rest of us what she has seen.
How often do you get to go to a free, interactive exhibition in an amazing old space and get given a camera to freely take all the photographs you desire? In Berlin you get this opportunity once a year at the Olympus Perspective Playground. With this yearly exhibition, Olympus is aiming to make photography an experience, challenging peoples perspective of reality and future vision.
Last week the London Design Festival took over much England's capital. Here are some of our highlights and picks.
The Adidas Stan Smith shoe is about as simple as a shoe can get. The shoe and numerous variations of the shoe have been around for over 40 years. Most recently, Adidas has linked up with our favourite textile company, Kvadrat.
Introducing the Kuskoa Bi, the first chair to be manufactured using organically sourced polymer by the Basque manufacturing company Alki. The concept and execution of the chair speaks to Alki's manifesto; "being sustainable is not an option, it is the only way forward".
Stick & Poke Tattoos Are No Longer Just A Drunken Homemade Tattoo Style. Handpoked tattoos have become more and more normalized in recent years. Some of them can be just as impressive as those made by machines, if not more.
There is one artist out of Black Cat Tattoo - Victoria BC Canada who has his own unique style we are really digging. He goes by the name Welfare Dentist.
This exhibition will have you rethinking your favourite colour. In fact, that favourite colour isn't just one colour, it is many.
Instagram is a great way to discover new people, places & things. It’s a great source of inspiration for almost anything. Through this medium, we kill time on the subway, source new product and as of late, watch endless videos. We recently discovered a playful CGI series by Swedish motion graphics artist, Andreas Wannerstedt.
Stairs. Rarely does this word spark excitement. Sometimes if you are lucky, these passages to other levels create memorable journeys, other times, it's just about getting from point A to point B. The latter is when we ask the question "…where's the elevator?"
M83 Inspires Architectural Photography. Danish photographer Kim Holtermand captures the simplicity of Church of the Holy Cross in Denmark with inspiration from M83, Sigur Ros & Max Richter.
Twentieth-century design bunks up with their eighteenth and nineteenth-century ancestors in this Exhibition "Les Formes Savantes" featuring the designs of Constance Guisset. Stage lighting and dialogue have been scripted for the event creating a theatrical environment. Take a deeper look at design and compare the old mastery with the new in this exhibition.
What happens to the coffee grounds after you’ve made that delicious cup of coffee? Julian Lechner has come up with an innovate new use. Combining plant fibers, wood grains, and biopolymers, a liquid is created that is then injection moulded to create a sustainable cup known as Kaffeeform.
Bocci - we're not talking about the great Italian game similar to lawn bowling (Bocce) or the delicious chocolates, we're talking about the Canadian design and manufacturing company who landed themselves a fantastic 2,200 m2 historic courthouse in Berlin, Germany to act as their European headquarters, showroom and archive.
As designers, our inspiration can come from literally anywhere or anything. In our studio music is a staple, and so we’ve compiled 5 visually captivating music videos that we love to watch to get our creativity flowing. In all of the videos below, the colours are visually captivating, themes are simple, and all have fluid transitions, keeping our eyes locked on the screen.
Certainly not your grandmother's silver, this cutlery set is modern in appearance with no compromise to luxury and prestige. Let us introduce you to Malmö Cutlery Set designed by Portuguese designer Miguel Flores Soeiro and manufactured by the Portuguese cutlery company Herdmar.
From State of Design Berlin, we bring you some of the pieces that stood out from the rest, in no particular order.
Once the largest radio broadcasting sites in the world, Funkhaus was built in 1951 by famous Bauhaus architect Franz Ehrlich. It is one of the most exceptional purpose-built recording complexes in the world and is world-renowned for its unique acoustics. This building is a great resource for anyone interested in Berlin history and architecture.
Hella Jongerius’ exhibition " Breathing Colour" will be on display June 28th at the Design Museum in London. This exhibition will be inspiring not only for people in the design industry but also for a larger audience who is drawn to colour in design, art and life.
toi toi toi luv- a blog to promote design, objects and creative experiences. Topics encompass Design, Architecture, Exhibitions, Lifestyle and Events. Our goal is to provide sui generis content, to influence, and to start conversations.
Share the luv!
Beaming blue amongst the trees of Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park is the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion by chosen Berlin-based Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré.