For the 2016 the Serpentine Galleries invited architect Bjarke Ingels to design the Serpentine Pavilion. “For the Serpentine Pavilion 2016, we have attempted to design a structure that embodies multiple aspects that are often perceived as opposites: a structure that is free-form yet rigorous, modular yet sculptural, both transparent and opaque, both solid box and blob. We decided to work with one of the most basic elements of architecture: the brick wall. Rather than clay bricks or stone blocks, the wall is erected from pultruded fibreglass frames stacked on top of each other. The wall is then pulled apart to form a cavity within it, to house the events of the Pavilion’s programme. This unzipping of the wall turns the line into a surface, transforming the wall into a space. A complex three-dimensional environment is created which can be explored and experienced in a variety of ways, inside and outside. At the top, the wall appears like a straight line, while the bottom, it forms a sheltered valley at the entrance of the Pavilion and an undulating hillside towards the Park.” Architect’s Statement, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).
Bjarke Ingels (born 1974) is a Danish architect. He heads the architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which he founded in 2005 with offices in Copenhagen and New York. The New York office was established in 2010 after working on projects in North America since 2006. BIG is led by Bjarke Ingels (Founding Partner) with 11 additional partners:. BIG currently employs around 300 architects, designers, builders and thinkers who come from over 25+ countries representing Scandinavia, North America, Latin America, the Far East and Continental Europe. Since 2009, Ingels has won numerous architectural competitions and awards including AIA National Architecture Honor Award (2015); AIA NY Urban Design Merit Award (2015); RIBA Award European National Winner (2014); Architizer A+ Awards (2014); Progressive Architecture Design Award (2013); Nordic Light Award (2013); International Economic Development Council Excellence Award (2012); Crown Prince Culture Prize, Danish Culture Fund (2011); Scandinavian Green Roof Award (2010); Cityscape Dubai Award (2009).
Serpentine Pavilion 2016 by Bjarke Ingels Group, Serpentine Galleries, Kensington Gardens, London, October 6, 2016.
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