BIG's Serpentine Pavilion Unveiled

In a statement from Bjarke Ingels, he describes the designs as "work[ing] with one of the most basic elements of architecture: the brick wall." Yet instead of stacked masonry, the walls will be erected from extruded fiberglass frames. These modules are stacked like a single wall but then "unzipped" to create "a structure that embodies multiple aspects that are often perceived as opposites: a structure that is free-form yet rigorous; modular yet sculptural; both transparent and opaque; both solid box and blob."

The design is unmistakably BIG. Through an embrace of opposites, the pavilion design recalls Ingels's idea of "hedonistic sustainability," the title of his popular 2011 TED talk where he argued that being sustainable does not require giving up modern comforts (opposites can live together). Further, the modular stacking recalls other BIG projects, such as Beach + Howe in Vancouver and the LEGO House in his native Denmark.

As reported two weeks ago when BIG was named the architect of the 16th Serpentine Pavilion, the firm's contribution will be accompanied by four "Summer Houses" designed by four other architects: Kunlé Adeyemi, Barkow Leibinger, Yona Friedman, and Asif Khan. Their designs have also been unveiled and are pictured below.

The five structures, sponsored by Goldman Sachs, will be on dipslay in London's Kensington Gardens from 10 June to 9 October 2016.