Here's another set of photographs of this year's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by Peter Zumthor, this time by photographer Julien Lanoo. Update: this project is included in Dezeen Book of Ideas, which is on sale now for £12.
Read about the pavilion in our earlier story and watch an interview we filmed with Zumthor at the private view on Dezeen Screen.
See the pavilion photographed by by UK photographers Hufton + Crow here, including glowing evening shots.
The pavilion is open to the public in Kensington Gardens, London, until 16 October.
See all our stories about Peter Zumthor »
See all our stories about the Serpentine Gallery Pavilions »
Dezeen’s top ten: parks and gardens »
Dezeen Screen: interview
with Peter Zumthor
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Everyone looks so bored…
Finally, some photos that put the pavilion within its context – #1 and #3 give a real sense of finding something magical – that 'hortus conclusus' is as much about finding the structure in the park as finding Oudolf's garden within the pavilion.
Oh and some real skies rather than those horrid washed out skies by Walter Herfst and Hufton + Crow
Right! These are the first images, that look good finally.
hold on: weren't the benches meant to be Prussian blue?
Can't wait to experience this when its raining heavily. being sheltered by the roof and watching a rectangular waterfall freshen the plants.
Typology.. but we have all seen this before in a Japanese garden, or a church cloister. Its more like a summary rather than a discovery.
Why do we have to like something that is clearly not good enough. Lets admit it that the pavilion is a disaster. Design world is not objective anymore, we kind of like to digest immidiately everything that is given to us without second thought. Have you ever asked anyone around the pavilion if they like it or not? 80% of the people say not.
I agree, this year is massively disappointing. How on earth did it ever get approval? The capacity must be a quarter of the very good Jean Noveau effort.
Did you ask?
I am surprised that Peter Zumthor allowed the rather flawed concrete winding paths that lead to the pavilion through the grass. They seem to disrupt the purity of the pavilion's form, and everything from their shape & texture, to the way they connect to the doors, seem off.
Indoors, the addition of the folding seating/table system seems a foreign object as well (both in style, material, etc.), the black benches would alone would made a stronger statement.
It almost seems that a good, clean original project was actually spoiled by major logistical compromises about circulation and 'catering' to visitors (maybe not due to the architect, but rather management/organizational constraints? – just a hypothesis).
I'm going to submit photos of photographers photographing Zumthor's Serpentine Pavillion. It's the next logical step in this chain.
When I visited this pavillion I found it quite boring at the beginning, even though i was somewhat affectioned to the idea of a sacred Hortus within a much larger garden. It suddenly started to rain, and I did not have my umbrella, so found myself stuck in the garden, and then magic happened. Rain started pouring vertically from the edges of the roof, and the roof itself, which is black painted and obviously attract much heat, started to release it little by little through vapour clouds.
Zumthor architecture is about atmosferes. It is about air, light, water and shadows. Once again Peter, well done.
… those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music…
I think it provides a beautifully tranquil space, a sort of refuge, for human beings as well as for the butterflies and bees, its just a shame that the weather here has been so appalling that we can't enjoy it. But it's particularly striking to see how the wildness he evokes is underpinned by framework, structure and rhythm: nature held in check by an almost invisible hand.