Lina Ghotmeh's Serpentine Pavilion Opens in London

Circular forms have been common with the Serpentine Pavilions over the program's two-dozen years. Rem Koolhaas and engineer Cecil Balmond created a floating canopy above a round enclosure in 2006, for example, and one year later artist Olafur Eliasson and Snøhetta's Kjetil Thorsen designed a timber structure whose lean resembled a spinning top at rest. More recently, Francis Kéré created a circular roof over curving blue walls in 2017; the pandemic-delayed iteration by Sumayya Vally, in 2021, featured a circular roof above blocks referencing London buildings; and last year Theaster Gates made a round enclosure called Black Chapel. Circular forms are befitting Serpentine Pavilions due to the flexible nature of their programming, which includes talks — most famously, a 24-hour interview session with Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist, in 2006 — performances, educational events, and other group programs.

Kéré conceptualized his pavilion, like other buildings he has designed, as a tree, which in Burkina Faso is considered a sheltered place to congregate and share stories. Similarly, the title of the pavilion designed by French-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh is À table, described in a statement as “a French call to sit down together at a table to engage and participate in dialogue while sharing a meal.” As such, the pavilion's interior “features a concentric table along the perimeter, inviting us to convene, sit down, think, share and celebrate exchanges that enable new relationships to form.” 

Ghotmeh's designed, unveiled in November 2022, features a palm leaf-inspired pleated roof that rests upon wood beams and columns. The wall panels are porous, with plant-like cutouts admitting light to the circular space; more natural light is brought in via the central skylight. The pavilion has a low profile that was inspired by togunas, traditional shelters in Mali that have been used for gatherings and, through their low height, force people to sit rather than stand. Though not quite as short, the numerous stools invite visitors to sit down at one of the tables at the perimeter of the circular space. Incidentally, the oak tables and chairs — 25 of the former and 57 of the latter — were designed by Ghotmeh as well.