SPACE March 2026 (No. 700)
Rendering image of a serpentine ©LANZA atelier
On Jan. 20, it was announced that Mexico City-based LANZA atelier had been selected as the designer of the Serpentine Pavilion 2026. Since 2000, the Serpentine Gallery has commissioned an architect each summer to present an experimental pavilion on the lawn in front of Serpentine South in Kensington Gardens. Co-Founded in 2015 by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, LANZA atelier is an architectural studio operating at the intersection of architecture, craft, and spatial experimentation. Their pavilion, a serpentine, is an irregular, curvilinear brick structure inspired by traditional British garden walls. The pavilion’s title, ‘a serpentine’ alludes to the gentle curvature of the nearby Serpentine Lake, establishing both a conceptual and spatial dialogue with its site. In particular, the pavilion references the historic ‘crinkle-crankle wall’, a traditional garden wall used in U.K. to protect fruit trees and promote their growth. Drawing from this typology, the pavilion’s southern wall takes the form of a sinuous, undulating curve. This configuration allows the arched, curved surfaces to mutually reinforce one another, achieving structural stability while requiring fewer bricks than a straight wall. This brick construction also establishes a material continuity with the existing brick façade of the Serpentine South. The northern wall follows a curving line that responds to the canopy of the existing trees, carefully avoiding damage to the surrounding vegetation. Resting lightly on brick columns, a translucent canopy allows light and air to permeate the interior, softening the transition between enclosure and openness. Evoking the presence of nature within the garden, a serpentine will open to the public on June 6, 2026.
