The 25th annual Serpentine Pavilion, titled a serpentine, opened in June 2026 at Kensington Gardens.
As summer arrives in Kensington Gardens, the changing light through the old tree canopy completely transforms the landscape. This season, that natural atmosphere matches beautifully with the twenty-fifth Serpentine Pavilion. Marking its silver jubilee, the Serpentine Galleries have partnered with the Zaha Hadid Foundation to present a structure, titled simply a serpentine, that feels both historic and intentionally fleeting, setting the stage for a summer of public discussion.
The story of the Serpentine begins in 1970, when the Arts Council of Great Britain transformed a classical 1930s tea pavilion in Kensington Gardens into a temporary summer venue for contemporary art. Originally intended to showcase underrepresented regional and international artists, the gallery was quickly established as a permanent fixture of London's cultural landscape.
A turning point came in 1991 when Julia Peyton-Jones took the helm as director. Under her leadership, the gallery underwent a major renovation in the late 1990s, spearheaded by the patronage of Diana, Princess of Wales, which secured its status as a world-class institution. In 2000, Peyton-Jones launched the annual Serpentine Pavilion commission, an architectural experiment that invites globally renowned architects who have not yet completed a structure in the UK to design a temporary summer pavilion.
The gallery expanded significantly in 2013 with the opening of the Serpentine North Gallery, housed in a Grade II-listed 1805 gunpowder store renovated by Zaha Hadid Architects. Today, known collectively as the Serpentine Galleries, the institution remains a pioneer in contemporary art, architecture, and digital education, drawing millions of visitors annually with free access to groundbreaking art in the heart of London.
The 2026 pavilion was conceived by LANZA atelier, a Mexico City practice founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo. The studio is widely recognised for its people-first philosophy, creating everything from furniture to major buildings with a distinct focus on fostering community and shared public experiences.
Marking their first completed project in the United Kingdom, the pavilion showcases the studio's talent for turning simple, raw materials into welcoming environments that respond naturally to human movement. By using soft, organic shapes, they successfully marry a minimalist aesthetic with traditional building techniques.
To anchor the structure in its British context, the team drew inspiration from historic crinkle crankle walls, which were traditionally used in English fruit gardens. The clever, wavy design of these historic walls wasn't just decorative; the alternating curves naturally resisted the wind, meaning they could stay perfectly upright without needing to be more than one brick thick. LANZA atelier scaled up this clever historical trick, weaving a continuous orange-red brick bench across the grass.
Openings broken into the heavy brickwork serve as natural entryways, inviting the public into a space that seamlessly connects the surrounding park with the man-made structure.
Balancing this solid brick base is a lightweight, semi-transparent roof. The canopy catches the changing London sunlight, scattering a soft glow across the space that mirrors the shade of the nearby trees.
The engineering focus here is sustainability. While standard brick architecture relies on permanent mortar, making demolition wasteful, the team designed a heavy brick structure that is entirely circular and temporary. The blocks are assembled completely dry, held stable by a custom internal system of metal rods and hidden steel plates threaded through pre-drilled holes. Come October, the entire pavilion can be taken apart cleanly and rebuilt elsewhere with zero material waste.
Inside, the design avoids rigid layouts to encourage open, flexible use. Instead of fixed benches, the space features simple, easily moved wooden chairs and stools, allowing visitors to rearrange the seating as they please.
The adaptable environment serves as a vibrant venue for the annual Park Nights series, which features a seasonal lineup of live performances, poetry readings, public debates, and community-led conversations.
In a culture often drawn to massive, imposing architecture, this pavilion offers a refreshing alternative: a quiet, gentle space designed for genuine community reflection.
Image credit: Lorenzo Zandri, Dezeen, Tom Ravenscroft
