NEW PHOTOS: A Secret Garden Blooms in Peter Zumthor’s 2011 Serpentine Pavilion

The <a href="http://www.serpentinegallery.org/2011/04/serpentine_gallery_pavillion_2011_zumthor.html">2011 Serpentine Pavilion</a> opened this past weekend, and we've just received a beautiful new set of photos by <a href="http://www.danicakus.com/">Danica Kus</a> showcasing Peter Zumthor's sensory design. The <a href="http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/23680/exclusive-zumthor-for-serpentine-pavilion-2011/">2011 pavilion</a> is a quiet contemplation of nature framed in a jet-black box. The structure plays with the senses, first absorbing all light and then opening up to a courtyard brimming with vivid plants. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/peter-zumthor-unveils-sheltered-garden-for-2011-serpentine-pavilion/">The Pavilion</a> will stay open until October 16th, offering Londoners a quiet sun-filled retreat.

The pavilion is <a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/76608/place-grace">classic Zumthor</a> in its minimalism and modernist restraint.

The twist is in how the building pushes the envelope through subtractive design -- it reduces aesthetic fetters and even light itself.

Visitors are confronted with a simple black box with several entrances.

A dark hallway proceeds toward sunlight at the end, which opens to the inner <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-cluny-house-embodies-low-energy-luxury-in-singapore/">courtyard</a>.

At this point the true meaning of the space is revealed - a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hortus_conclusus">hortus conclusus</a> fuses building and nature with a flourish of plants and insects.

The garden, created by Dutch landscape designer <a href="http://www.oudolf.com/piet-oudolf" target="_blank">Piet Oudolf</a>, is the building's contemplative centerpiece. Its 250 square meters are planted with a great variety of flowering plants chosen for their size, color, and fragrance.

The roof angles into the courtyard to provide views of the sky and reduce the building’s profile.

Peter Zumthor surveys the completed Serpentine Pavilion.

Seating is set along the shaded perimeter to let visitors sit while absorbing the richness of the environs and the quality of senses set against the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/archive-super-shiny-half-size-pavilion-for-artists-reflects-its-own-environment/">blank slate</a> of the surrounding walls.

The pavilion’s materials are as minimal as its design - a timber core wrapped in plywood. The plywood is covered is tar and burlap to absorb light and maintain a simple, organic texture.

Every year London's <a href="http://www.serpentinegallery.org/2011/04/serpentine_gallery_pavillion_2011_zumthor.html">Serpentine Gallery</a> grants the winner of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/peter-zumthor-wins-the-pritzker-prize/">Pritzker Prize</a> the opportunity to design a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-10th-annual-serpentine-gallery-by-jean-nouvel-opens-this-week/">temporary pavilion</a> on its grounds for a summer exploration of contemporary art and design.

<em>Photo © Daniel Ayat</em><br>

Photo © <a href="http://www.oudolf.com/piet-oudolf/photographers/walter-herfst">Walter Herfst</a>

<em>Photo © <a href="http://www.oudolf.com/piet-oudolf/photographers/walter-herfst">Walter Herfst</a></em>

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<em>Photo © Daniel Ayat</em>

<em>Photo © <a href="http://www.oudolf.com/piet-oudolf/photographers/walter-herfst">Walter Herfst</a></em>

<em>Photo © <a href="http://www.oudolf.com/piet-oudolf/photographers/walter-herfst">Walter Herfst</a></em>

<em>Photo © Daniel Ayat</em>

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