The Serpentine Pavilion commission, which began in 2000 with Dame Zaha Hadid, has presented the first completed UK structures by some of the most significant names and emerging talents in international architecture. The Pavilion has evolved over the years as a participatory public and artistic platform for the Serpentine’s pioneering, interdisciplinary, community and education programmes. This year it will be staged from 7 June to 27 October.

Titled ‘Archipelagic Void’, the Pavilion will consist of five “islands” designed around an open space. Mass Studies envisions a void defined by a series of smaller, adaptable structures located at its periphery, intertwining with the park’s natural ecology and its temporal conditions. These structures will form a constellation that shapes a singular central circular void.

The central void will act like the madang, a small courtyard found in old Korean houses, accommodating rich spatial narratives ranging from individual everyday activities to large collective events.

Minsuk Cho, Architect, Mass Studies, said: “We are honoured and grateful to be chosen as the next Serpentine Pavilion architect. We began by asking what can be uncovered and added to the Serpentine site, which has already explored over 20 iterations at the centre of the lawn, from a roster of great architects and artists. To approach this new chapter differently, instead of viewing it as a carte blanche, we embraced the challenge of considering the many existing peripheral elements while exploring the centre as a void. It also begins to address the history of the Serpentine Pavilion. By inverting the centre as a void, we shift our architectural focus away from the built centre of the past, facilitating new
possibilities and narratives.”

Around the void, each structure of this multifaceted Pavilion will be envisioned as a “content machine” each individually named and serving a different purpose. The Gallery will act as the welcoming main entry, extending Serpentine South’s curatorial activities outside, while the Auditorium will serve as a gathering area. A small Library will feature to the north of the Pavilion, offering a moment of pause. The Tea House will honour the Serpentine South’s historical role as a tea avilion. The Play Tower, the most open space, will feature a netted structure.

Assembled, the parts become a montage of ten spaces surrounding the void: five distinct covered spaces and five open, n-between areas, each acting as a threshold that seamlessly integrates with the surrounding park and Pavilion activities. Highlighted by varying natural light conditions, these flexible spaces will welcome people and host live programmes.
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Images: Serpentine Pavilion 2024 designed by Minsuk Cho, Mass Studies. Design render, exterior view. Photo © Mass Studies Courtesy: Serpentine and Minsuk Cho, Mass Studies © Photo by Mok Jungwook