The 10th Annual Serpentine Gallery by Jean Nouvel Opens This Week

<a href="../tag/London/">London</a> is a hotbed for innovative architecture this summer, and the <a href="http://redirectingat.com/?id=2748X590349&amp;xs=1&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serpentinegallery.org%2F2010%2F03%2Fserpentine_gallery_pavilion_20_14.html&amp;sref=http%3A%2F%2Finhabitat.com%2F%3Fp%3D134212%26preview%3Dtrue">10th Annual Serpentine Gallery Pavilion</a> is the latest fascinating work to be unveiled. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/03/24/jean-nouvel-unveils-sustainably-designed-national-museum-of-qatar/">Jean Nouvel</a> was commissioned earlier this year to design and build this summer's pavilion, which will host <a href="http://www.serpentinegallery.org/park_nights/">Park Nights</a>, a special program of film screenings and talks as well as a cafe for the public. <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/31/jean-nouvel-named-2008-pritzker-architecture-laureate/">Pritzker prize winner</a> Nouvel joins the ranks of some of the most prominent architects in the world with this commission to design the famed temporary pavilion.

Jean Nouvel is the 10th acclaimed architect to be asked to design and build the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, which is a temporary exhibit on the lawns of the Kensington Gardens.

Architects are given six months to design and build the temporary pavilion which is typically on display from July to October.

The pavilion will host a series of exhibits, talks and films throughout the summer and early fall as part of Park Nights. The public space is also a cafe.

Nouvel designed the pavilion to be a study in contrast -- it is composed of lightweight and flexible materials as well as solid, sturdy cantilevered metal beams.

The color red creates contrast against the green of the surrounding gardens and park. Red is also seen throughout London on mail boxes, the buses and the telephone booths.

The pavilion is constructed of glass, polycarbonate and fabric structures along with the metal beams for support.

Composed of a cafe, lecture space, and a 12-meter high wall, the pavilion was designed to be versatile and adaptable for various events and a wide range of weather.

The pavilion's design highlights the idea of play with its incorporation of traditional French outdoor table-tennis tables.

The Pavilion opens on July 10 on the Serpentine Gallery lawn, where it will remain until October. Jean Nouvel will be discussing the pavilion's groundbreaking design at a talk on Monday, July 12 at 5pm.

Julia Peyton-Jones, Director, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director, Serpentine Gallery, said: “It is an honour to bring Nouvel’s globally acclaimed work to London for everyone to enjoy.”

There is no budget for the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion commission. It is paid for by sponsorship, sponsorship help-in-kind and the sale of the finished structure, which does not cover more than 40% of its cost.

Here is a rendering of the pavilion released by Nouvel back in March.

This 2010 Pavilion is the 10th commission in the Gallery’s annual series, the world’s first and most ambitious architectural program of its kind. It will be the architect’s first completed building in the UK.