Smiljan Radic Designs Serpentine Gallery 2014

John Hill

17. March 2014

Image: © 2014 Smiljan Radic Studio

The Chilean architect's design for the 14th pavilion in London's Kensington Gardens opens in June.

London's Serpentine Gallery has invited Chilean architect Smiljan Radic to design a temporary pavilion at the entrance to the gallery in Kensington Gardens. He is the fourteenth architect to accept the invitation, following one year after Sou Fujimoto's well-received pavilion. Radic's design appears to run counter to his predecessor's ethereal, transparent design made of small white sticks, instead opting for "a semi-translucent, cylindrical structure, designed to resemble a shell, which rests on large quarry stones," per a statement.

Image: © 2014 Smiljan Radic Studio

The selection of Radic is a bold step for the Serpentine Gallery, which has traditionally selected big-name architects well after they've received international acclaim: Herzog & de Meuron (2012, with Ai Weiwei), Peter Zumthor (2011), Jean Nouvel (2010), SANAA (2009), Frank Gehry (2008), Rem Koolhaas (2006), Toyo Ito (2002), Daniel Libeskind (2001), and Zaha Hadid (2000), to cite a few. Smiljan Radic, on the other hand, is hardly a household name, not surprising considering most of his projects have been realized in his home country.

In a statement, Radic said of the 350-square-meter pavilion that will open on June 26 and run until October 19:

"The Serpentine 2014 Pavilion is part of the history of small romantic constructions seen in parks or large gardens, the so-called follies, which were hugely popular from the end of the 16th Century to the start of the 19th. Externally, the visitor will see a fragile shell suspended on large quarry stones. This shell, white, translucent and made of fiberglass, will house an interior organized around an empty patio, from where the natural setting will appear lower, giving the sensation that the entire volume is floating. At night, thanks to the semi-transparency of the shell, the amber tinted light will attract the attention of passers-by like lamps attracting moths."