Here are some photographs of the completed 2012 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, which opens to the public in London tomorrow.
The base of the pavilion is sunken beneath the lawn of Kensington Gardens, where the imagined previously buried foundations of the past eleven annual pavilions have been unearthed and lined with cork to form a network of trenches.
Twelve columns are positioned amongst these channels, representing each of the pavilions past and present, and supporting a circular roof.
A pool of water covers the roof, but can be drained into an excavated well to provide an elevated viewing platform or dance floor.
Cork-covered stools shaped like mushrooms provide seating for visitors underneath this canopy.
The temporary pavilion will be open until 14 October.
See more shots from the press preview in our Facebook album.
Jacques Herzog gave us a private tour of the building earlier today, which we'll publish on Dezeen soon.
The twelfth annual pavilion follows previous structures by architects including Peter Zumthor, Jean Nouvel, SANAA and Frank Gehry.
You can see images of them all here, watch our interview with Peter Zumthor at the opening of last year’s pavilion on Dezeen Screen and read even more about the pavilions in our Dezeen Book of Ideas.
See more stories about Herzog & de Meuron »
See more stories about Ai Weiwei »
Photography is by Jim Stephenson.
what about the fact that there were no foundations in the ground when they started digging? http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/serpentine-pavilio…
Looks awesome.
My kid will be riding his scoot on top of dat!
I really like it.
I am no H&dM fan and the awkwardness of the interior space is pretty ordinary.
But the pool of water is exquisite.
Best serp pav ever.
They should have tried to make the roof/pool with a semi-transparent bottom, so all the water reflections would have projected inside the pavilion.
Amazing idea. I second that completely
giant stoppers for wine = chairs ! love it! :D
pretty lame pavillion, although not as bad as Zumthor's.
Zumthor's was beautiful. Crawl back under your rock.
LOL, Zumthor's groupies are amazing…
I like Z. but his pavillion is the worst. Period.
Best pavilion ever.
why is there so many giant corks?
is it me? I really hate this corks.
What is with the floating disk? Maybe I really need to visit it in person. Does the concept actually enrich the built result in this case?
i’m curious to know which part was ai weiwei’s idea and which part was herzog’s.
Real shame about the strictly enforced 'keep off the grass' signs, immediately ruined the sociable and relaxed atmosphere that was expected.
Like it, but don't expect to see anyone dancing on the roof without extensive H&S barricades in safety orange stripes…. Love the giant corks/mushrooms, we need more psychedelic surrealism in London :)
FA
it is not a very smart act after SANNA's pavilion
This is giant birdbath with about as welcome a pavilion as you would get in a tomb. Amazing what wealth and celebrity status produces.
I love H&deM, but this is their worst. No effort. I expected way more.
It’s a dark subterranean space with a nice reflective pool above. It is not a welcoming pavilion where you want to spend any time. Bring on Thomas Heathwick next to shake things up.
Not going to be so great for the visitors when the rain starts coming down.
Is it flooded yet?