finally we decided to go down and see gehrys serpentine pavilion in Hyde park.
since the internet including archinect has been full of images of the project i was going with many many preconceptions. initially the approach to the pavilion from the closest entrance is interesting since your view is mostly obscured by trees, 
you then get to a noticeable material change in the ground and when you turn the pavilion is there staring you in the face in full perspective with the gallery as a backdrop.
The scale of it is another surprise and the timber posts are immense yet sadly you lose most sense of them when you are below the panels where looking up reminds of diagrams ive seen in the book deconstruction 1 courtesy of tschumi and eisenman. 
Although the overall form kind of met my fearful preconceptions there where moments that were pleasant such as touching the timber and actually smelling it when you sit on the stadium like seats, and the detailing was interesting (although coming from Dubai ive personally seen very few good detail jobs).
Overall, it was a beneficial experience with a few good moments and although the little 'space' within the pavilion was extremely dynamic, i still couldnt shake off the feeling that i was in a over designed corridor instead of having the boulevard effect i thought it could have. Although as a shadow casting device it would have been a total success since at around sunset it cast some excellent shadows.
(there were many people there doling out 'expert' architectural critique to their fortunate counterparts..)
13 Comments
thanks for this...like you most of the pictures seem disjuntured where you are unable to percieve the scale and other tactile things to determine the architecture, you have given us something to sink our teeth into. And I think I may come to a similar conclusion
How are the 6x6 timbers connected?
Is this hidden? Is it merely a veneer for steel?
im pretty sure they arent veneer for steel since many other members are bolted to the timbers themselves and you can see the average size of the wooden members in the third picture from the bottom. The connections are hidden throughout, although the gap between the timbers is substantial enough in some places it seems to take a peek in, but to tell you the truth i didnt check
architechnohilia if youre heading to hyde check out the princess diana memorial by gustafson opposite the pavilion
make, mustafa, they are actually steel sections that were wrapped with lumber.
there is a nice set of construction images here. click on the second set "SGSP 2008-06-10" for images of the structural system.
thanks for setting that straight dread
Thanks, Dread, this is why I like Archinect!!!
I learn something here!
Is it Doug Fir or local timber?
Steel box sections. Interesting... I love the way the 6x6s were hollowed out so they would fit over them. Mies wouldn't approve! ;-)
douglas fir timber (i think)
where is dubba this time? you have to keep on featuring her in the background, like a trademark, you know what I mean?
she nearly killed me for the last one
do it while she is not looking, not too hard to trick her,,
also, the danger is good,, thats wat you gotta do to keep the adrenaline high,, sacrifice a bit for your blog.. no??
and, we both know she wont see it
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.