Jean Nouvel Designs 2010 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion

Categorized | Architecture, Design

Tags | Agbar Tower, Architecture, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Jean Nouvel, Serpentine Gallery, Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, temporary architecture

Jean Nouvel Designs 2010 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion

Posted on 06 July 2010 by anc

World renowned French architect Jean Nouvel has designed England’s 2010 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. (Several images below!) Launched in 2000, this ongoing, annual commission invites internationally acclaimed architects and designers to create a temporary (3-month) structure on the Gallery’s lawn. The entire process allots only six months from invitation to completion, an opportunity to demonstrate each designer or architect’s skill and talent.

This year, the gallery celebrates its 40th anniversary, and Nouvel’s project is his first completed building in the UK. A contrast of lightweight materials and dramatic, metal cantilevered structures, Nouvel’s entire design is rendered in a vivid red that simultaneously contrasts with the green of its park setting. The color reflects the iconic British images of traditional telephone boxes, post boxes and London buses. The building consists of bold geometric forms, large retractable awnings and a freestanding wall that climbs 12m above the lawn, sloping at a gravity defying angle. Glass, polycarbonate and fabric structures create a versatile system of interior and exterior spaces.

Around the Pavilion, Nouvel has created spaces for outdoor play, bringing the tradition of French civic parks to London. Red table tennis tables, draughts, chess, frisbees and kites will be available for the public to play with throughout the summer months. The flexible auditorium will accommodate the Serpentine Gallery café, as well as Park Nights, the Gallery’s lecture and event program, and will culminate in the annual Serpentine Gallery Marathon on October 16th and 17th. The theme of the 5th Serpentine Gallery Marathon – The Marathon of Maps for the 21 Century – considers maps’ hold on our imaginations, and their ability to define our understanding of geography, scale, space and ideas. During the event, artists, writers and scientists will present maps encompassing their experience of the world today.

Jean Nouvel is responsible for the design of over 200 buildings the world over, including the Copenhagen Concert Hall (2009); the Ferrari Factory, Modena (2009); 40 Mercer Street, New York (2008); the Musée du quai Branly, Paris (2006); the extension to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2006); the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis (2001); the Torre Agbar, Barcelona (2000); the Culture and Congress Centre, Lucerne (2000), and the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris (1989). (Images below!)

Previous Pavilion architects include: Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, SANAA, 2009; Frank Gehry, 2008; Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen, 2007; Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond, with Arup, 2006; Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond, Arup, 2005; MVRDV with Arup, 2004 (un-realised); Oscar Niemeyer, 2003; Toyo Ito with Arup, 2002; Daniel Libeskind with Arup, 2001; and Zaha Hadid, 2000.