Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011

The name of the author of the eleventh summer pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery began to emerge last year, in the spring the first visualizations from Swiss architect Peter Zumthor appeared, and at the beginning of July, a black pavilion was opened in the middle of Kensington Gardens, offering Londoners a place for rest and contemplation. Zumthor's wooden enclosure is set on a perfectly manicured English lawn, but inside it offers a wild flower garden designed by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf. The dark low block in its center protects a contemplative Hortus conclusus (Latin for 'enclosed garden') surrounded by a covered walkway with long benches.
Peter Zumthor adds to his design of the enclosed garden: “The pavilion's structure acts as a frame, a backdrop for the garden lying within. The visitor comes from darkness into a place that is perfectly sheltered from various rustles, traffic, and the smell of London – a place where one can sit, walk, and observe. It will be an intense and unforgettable experience, just like the materials used: full of memory and time.”
The black wooden shell of the pavilion is treated with a special coating: a half-timbered structure smeared with black paste mixed with sand. Between the outer and inner wooden frame is a dark corridor preparing visitors for the natural sanctuary.
The summer pavilion in Kensington Gardens is freely accessible until mid-October.