Photographer Francesco Russo has captured the construction of Frida Escobedo’s 2018 Serpentine Pavilion, as the structure nears completion in London’s Hyde Park. The images showcase the dark cement roof tiles used to construct the pavilion, which comprises an enclosed courtyard created by two rectangular volumes.
With an interplay of light and water, the pavilion seeks to evoke the sensation of the domestic architecture of Mexico, from where Escobedo hails. The stacked cement tiled visible in the photographs form a "celosia," a type of permeable wall common in Mexico.
Escobedo is the youngest architect to have participated in the Serpentine Pavilion program since its beginning in 2000, and is known for her work in activating public spaces. Her design for the 2018 Serpentine Pavilion is noted for its marriage of traditional Mexican architecture and the use of British materials with references to its London context.
The pavilion’s courtyard will feature a triangular pool, with the underside of the structure’s roof featuring mirrored panels, hence creating a pair of reflective surfaces which respond to the changing position of the sun. In reference to the pavilion’s intent as a “timepiece,” the scheme is arranged on a north-south axis, evoking the Prime Meridian located a few miles to the east in Greenwich.
Escobedo’s piece follows on from previous Serpentine Pavilions by Diébédo Francis Kéré in 2017 and BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group in 2016. The Pavilion will open on June 15th.
Photographs by: Francesco Russo
