Serpentine Pavilion creates "a second of marvel" says Lina Ghotmeh

On this unique video produced by Dezeen for the Serpentine Gallery, French-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh explains how her Serpentine Pavilion was designed to create a way of conviviality.

Referred to as À desk, the pavilion takes the type of a glued laminated timber (glulam) shelter that homes a concentric communal desk supposed to convey folks collectively.

“The pavilion is known as À desk. It is the French name to get collectively across the similar desk,” Ghotmeh stated within the video. “For me, it is bringing folks collectively, making a group.”

Ghotmeh’s pavilion was impressed by dialogue and debate across the desk

The construction of the pavilion was knowledgeable by naturally occurring types, with parts of the shelter referencing patterns present in leaves and tree trunks.

“The roof is sort of a leaf composed by pleated wood parts, floating above the centre of the house,” Ghotmeh defined. “There’s a gap with this umbrella that echoes the local weather of town as properly.”

“I needed for the construction to be constructed within the easiest method doable, utilizing one materials,” she stated.

Perforated wooden screens in timber pavilion — Fretwork panels are minimize with leaf-like patterns

Ghotmeh sourced low-carbon supplies to construct the pavilion, which is constructed predominantly from glulam and birch plywood.

“Wooden is a low-carbon materials, simply assembled, it’s totally light-weight, and it does not want heavy foundations,” she stated. “And it is disassemblable and remountable some other place.”

Skylight in Serpentine Pavilion by Lina Ghotmeh — A pleated roof affords shade from the solar

Ghotmeh, who describes her design course of as “archaeology of the long run”, drew references from group buildings across the globe.

“The structure of this pavilion is knowledgeable by analysis round locations of group and rituals that may span from Stonehenge to the Toguna huts constructed by the Dogon folks in Mali, west Africa,” Ghotmeh stated.

“They’re pavilions that invite the communities to assemble across the similar house and below one roof to determine on vital issues for the communities,” she defined.

Serpentine Pavilion by Lina Ghotmeh — The pavilion takes cues from group buildings

All through the summer time, the pavilion will host a collection of performances and occasions as a part of the Serpentine’s Park Nights programme.

“The pavilion is enjoying numerous relationships with the surface context in a kaleidoscopic method,” stated Ghotmeh.

“When guests expertise this pavilion, I would want that they really feel relaxed, that they really feel conviviality. Sit on the desk, perhaps fall in love together with your neighbour, but in addition have a second of marvel and simply benefit from the day within the park,” she continued.

Ghotmeh is a Lebanese-born, Paris-based architect and the twenty second to be commissioned for the Serpentine Pavilion.

Her design follows final 12 months’s Black Chapel pavilion created by artist and designer Theaster Gates. Architects equivalent to Frida Escobedo, Diébédo Francis Kéré and Sou Fujimoto have additionally beforehand created Serpentine Pavilions.

Ghotmeh is the founding architect of Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh Structure. Notable tasks by her studio embrace the Stone Backyard tower in Beirut and Hermès Manufacture in Normandy.

The images is by Iwan Baan, courtesy of Serpentine Gallery.

Partnership content material

This video was produced by Dezeen for the Serpentine Gallery as a part of a partnership. Discover out extra about Dezeen partnership content material right here.