It is a long, undulating brick wall—sinuous like a moving reptile—that immediately stands out in the new Serpentine Pavilion 2026, designed by Lanza Atelier. The studio, founded in Mexico City by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, signs the 25th edition of the famous temporary pavilion in Kensington Gardens. Since the first edition, featuring the iconic structure by Zaha Hadid in 2000, the Serpentine Pavilion has earned its reputation as a laboratory of architectural experimentation.

The project, titled a serpentine, takes inspiration from traditional “crinkle-crankle walls,” ancient curvilinear walls introduced in England by Dutch engineers and characterized by an alternation of concave and convex curves that ensures stability while using a reduced amount of material.

While the first wall follows a linear path, the second—on the opposite side—adapts to the outline of the surrounding trees, avoiding interference with the existing vegetation. The translucent roof, which allows glimpses of the sky, is supported by a regular sequence of brick pillars that echo the material quality of the walls. Light filters in from every direction, creating an extremely permeable environment. It almost naturally evokes the work done in 2025 by Marina Tabassum with her Capsule in Time or, going further back, Sou Fujimoto’s 2013 pavilion—who, incidentally, has been invited this year to act as a consultant by the Serpentine Galleries.

The choice of brick, a material deeply rooted in the tradition of English gardens, also establishes a direct connection with the façade of the Serpentine South Gallery, historically a tea house. In the architects’ intentions, this rhythmic interplay of solids and voids builds a symbolic bridge between Europe and the Americas, reinforcing the studio’s approach to architecture that emerges (also) from cross-cultural exchange.

As usual, the pavilion will open on 6 June 2026 and will host throughout the summer a multidisciplinary program of events including music, film, performances, and public talks. This edition coincides with a special celebration dedicated to the memory of the first architect to design a Serpentine Pavilion in 2000, ten years after her passing. “We will remember Zaha Hadid,” comments Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries, “who gave us our motto that: ‘there should be no end to experimentation.’”