Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012
© 2012, by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei
The twelfth commission for the annual summer Pavilion at Serpentine Gallery in London (June 1st – October 14th, 2012) is designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei. For the first time, the entire interior is made of cork and can hold up to 200 people. Above the Pavilion’s round steel roof lays a thin layer of water (25mm) that reflects the surroundings and the changes in the skyline.
The design is a response to the previous pavilions like from Frank Gehry and SANAA. This year, the architects and artist gave a new life to the past memories of former pavilions, by constructing on site and utilizing ghosts of each pavilion to form what is there today. Each pavilion from year 2000 to 2012 is given a column within the space of the pavilion, with each post extruding out of the foundation and the twelfth column as a part of this commission.