About SANAA
Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa established the SANAA studio in 1995, one of the most significant Japanese studios in contemporary architecture. They have successfully implemented the oriental style to western tastes while defining a new architectural language that plays primarily with light and perception. Their architecture is immediately recognisable.
Kazuyo Sejima, was born in 1956. She studied architecture in Tokyo, where, after receiving her degree, she started working for the office of Toyo Ito. Not long after, Sejima opened her studio. In 1992, she was named the Japan Institute of Architect’s Young Architect of the Year.
Ryue Nishizawa was among the initial members she took on in her practice. He was born in 1966 and received his Master’s in architecture from Yokohama National University. Nishizawa had previously worked for Toyo Ito as a student, where he had first met Sejima.
After years of collaboration, the two established Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates, or SANAA as it is now known.
Pioneering structures by Sejima and Nishizawa defined a new architectural language that plays with light and perception while fusing aesthetic simplicity with technical complexity. High-profile clients from all over the world, including the Louvre Museum in Lens, France, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, USA, are interested in SANAA’s projects because they are transparent stages that highlight the relationship between the built environment, the users, and the surrounding environment.
A Brief history of Serpentine Pavilion
The Serpentine is a well-known contemporary art centre in London that houses two galleries on either side of Serpentine Lake in Kensington Gardens: the original Serpentine Gallery, which opened in 1970 in a former tea pavilion, and the new Serpentine Gallery, which was inaugurated in 2013 and created by British architect Zaha Hadid, who was born in Iraq.
It is notable for its temporary summer pavilion, which is now being commissioned yearly by a renowned international architect whose works were never constructed in the UK since 2000. The pavilions in the middle of Kensington Gardens aimed to be a multifunctional gathering place for people. They must be completed within a limited budget and operate for roughly three months.
Serpentine Pavilion 2009 by SANAA
The SANAA studio, which had never before constructed anything in the UK, was invited by the Serpentine Gallery in 2009 to create a temporary pavilion for events between June and October.
The structure designed by SANAA permits unrestricted movement between areas frequently devoid of structure and organised according to a hierarchy of goals. Although their work may seem related to essentialist minimalism, their structure doesn’t construct ideal forms; instead, they desire to make the parts and materials themselves.
“The design embraces the park as never before and reveals the play of light and perception so characteristic of his work. This pavilion will this summer be a wonderful addition to London’s surroundings. For us, it is a dream that comes true.” – Gallery Director Julia Peyton-Jones (ÁLVAREZ, EVANESCENCE ARCHITECTURE. SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION 2009 BY SANAA, 2021)
The pavilion was built using a system of small-diameter aluminium columns and quite a thin corrugated aluminium roof. Thus, creating a network of interconnected spaces, the park is reflected on aluminium, keeping the pavilion connected to its surroundings.
As for the access points to this pavilion were set up so that everyone had the same experience getting there. A total of 150 people could accommodate under the deck because all of the seating areas were level, and those seats could be moved as needed to accommodate people in the open areas. Without seats, the pavilion could accommodate 300 people.
The sinuous roof, which spanned in several directions at the same height as the base of the treetops, was designed to resemble the organic form of an amoeba. The pavilion was utterly permeable to its surroundings; consequently, the park, its flowers, and its colours began to reflect atmospherically on its surface.
The building designated a shaded area between the ethereal pergola and the white mortar pavement, designating areas with a different character, such as a cafeteria, a space for music, a breakout area, and a small zone for special events. This area was open for outdoor activities for three months. Birchwood panels supported by a random web of 50-millimetre-diameter metallic pillars served as the roof’s thin, 26-millimetre-thick surface. Each panel neatly interlocks thanks to the plywood’s profile’s chamfered castellation that step in and out. Friction on its own should theoretically maintain the integrity of the entire roof.
“The Pavilion is floating aluminium, drifting freely between the trees like smoke. Its appearance changes according to the weather, allowing it to melt into the surroundings. It works as a field of activity with no walls, allowing uninterrupted views across the park and encouraging access from all sides.”- Sejima & Nishizawa (ÁLVAREZ, EVANESCENCE ARCHITECTURE. SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION 2009 BY SANAA, 2021)
Aside from a series of curved walls made of transparent acrylic, which created a semi-enclosed space under one section of the canopy to house the cafe and auditorium, the pavilion’s sides were completely open.
References:
ÁLVAREZ, M. (2021, July 11). EVANESCENCE ARCHITECTURE. SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION 2009 BY SANAA. (Metacolus, Ed.) Metacolus. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/evanescence-architecture-serpentine-gallery-pavilion-2009-sanaa
ÁLVAREZ, M. (2021, July 11). EVANESCENCE ARCHITECTURE. SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION 2009 BY SANAAEVANESCENCE ARCHITECTURE. SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION 2009 BY SANAA. Metacolus. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/evanescence-architecture-serpentine-gallery-pavilion-2009-sanaa
02_Serpentine Pavilion 2009 _©(Christian Richters) from https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/pabellon-de-la-serpentine-gallery-2009-2
05_Slender pavilion_©(Iwan Baan) from https://984439.smushcdn.com/2832891/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SANAA-Serpentine-4516-1826×0-c-default.jpg?lossy=0&strip=0&webp=0
