Prepare for the Arrival of the Serpentine Pavilion 2025, an Interactive Exhibition Experience Awaits You
A Fresh Perspective on the Serpentine Pavilion 2025
This year's Serpentine Pavilion, celebrating its silver jubilee, harks back to the original commission granted to Zaha Hadid in 1995 - the inaugural Pavilion installed in London's Kensington Gardens. Over the past 25 years, the annual installation has become a beloved emblem of London summers, showcasing the innovative ideas of talented architects, many of whom have never constructed anything in the UK before.
For the 2025 edition, the architect behind the mesmerizing creation is Marina Tabassum - a Bangladeshi visionary known for her commitment to sustainable and site-specific designs. As she unveiled her design in the final quarter of 2024, she aimed to spark a conversation surrounding time, endurance, and the essence of architecture.
"I've always been captivated by the interplay of light and how ambiance is created," Tabassum shares, expressing her fascination with geometry, atmosphere, and aesthetic expression. "However, our work also revolves around the ephemeral nature of architecture, focusing on building refugee shelters and residences for marginalized communities susceptible to displacement." (Khudi Bari, an adaptable, modular house prototype crafted to address Bangladesh's recurring flood disasters as a result of climate change, is a testament to Tabassum's compassionate dedication). "In the Serpentine Pavilion 2025, these two contrasting aspects of my practice merge."
Exploring the Serpentine Pavilion 2025
Described as "A Capsule in Time," the pavilion takes on a giant capsule-like form, constructed entirely of timber, with translucent, colored glass panels that scatter dappled light within. The structure, comprising four sections, can be maneuvered with one of its sections, affixed on wheels, joining one of the arched ends to form a larger, covered area that will accommodate the myriad events planned by the gallery as part of its public program for the summer season. This adaptability also ensures shelter for guests during the London weather's unpredictable mood swings.
Tabassum's pavilion design reflects a clean, simple aesthetic geared to underscore the beauty of light and shadow, encouraging viewers to immerse themselves in these visual delights, possibly losing track of time. To further emphasize this, a semimature ginkgo tree graces the pavilion's heart, symbolizing the march of time as it flourishes and matures during the pavilion's lifespan. The tree will be replanted in Kensington Gardens following the exhibition's conclusion in October 2025, marking a poetic connection between the structure and its leafy surroundings.
"The tree's location on the same axis as the Serpentine's bell tower anchors the building within its local setting," Tabassum explains. "Additionally, the Building's transparency and quiet, solemn quality attract visitors, inviting them to linger as long as they please and observe how the atmosphere evolves as the day wears on."
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Tabassum's body of work, primarily rooted in her native Bangladesh, stands as a testament to her philosophy of site-specific and sustainable architecture. With the occasion of designing for a London environment, was there a discernible difference?
"Absolutely, I'd say there were a some unknown factors, but I knew that this was a temporary construct," she notes. "The wooden framing was chosen for that purpose, and it doesn't need an extensive foundation. I'm a firm believer in utilizing local materials and resources, adopting local building practices and reusing foundations whenever possible." Collaboration with AECOM and Stage One, experienced Pavilion builders, proved crucial to achieving a solid and textured design that resonates with its setting.
The digital age and the rise of social media have undeniably transformed the way architecture is perceived and consumed. Nevertheless, Tabassum contends that the relevance of a pavilion, as it had been 25 years ago, remains undiminished:
"Traditional communication methods such as exhibiting models and drawings were once the primary means to showcase an architect's work. A pavilion, however, allows the presentation of not just the principles and ethos but also the creative potential of a designer. It provides an immersive, tangible experience that cannot be replicated through drawings and models. The Serpentine Gallery benefits from this exposure too, as it fosters community engagement and promotes art and creativity."
[1] Khawaja, A., (2021) "A Closer Look at Marina Tabassum's Demountable Modular Home," Architecture Digest. Retrieved from https://www.architecturedigest.com/building-types/homes/marina-tabassum-khudi-bari-demountable-home-bangladesh-bangla-rivers-architect[2] Rashid, T., (2025) "A Capsule in Time: Marina Tabassum's Serpentine Pavilion 2025," The Architect's Review. Retrieved from https://www.ar-online.com/serpentine-pavilion-2025-marina-tabassum/
- Marina Tabassum's design for the Serpentine Pavilion 2025, themed as "A Capsule in Time," promises to blend her signature focus on the interplay of light and ambiance with a commitment to creating sustainable and site-specific structures, seamlessly merging her home-and-garden projects with her large-scale installations.
- After the exhibition of the Serpentine Pavilion 2025, the ginkgo tree at its heart will be replanted in Kensington Gardens, serving as an extension of the pavilion's lifestyle paradigm, where nature and architecture coexist harmoniously in a dance of light and time.
