Archinect - News

Inaugural Serpentine Pavilion Beijing opens to the public

2018-06-01T18:04:00-04:00

The first Serpentine Pavilion co-commissioned and built outside the UK has opened its figurative doors in Beijing this week.

Designed by JIAKUN Architects, the temporary structure is the result of a collaboration between London's Serpentine Galleries and WF CENTRAL in Beijing. First renderings of the structure, which draws inspiration from Confucianism mimicking the figure of an archer, were unveiled earlier this year.

From the project description: "The Serpentine Pavilion Beijing will be a public space for cultural activities, events and social encounters at the very heart of WF CENTRAL, with a programme of cultural activities programmed across five Pavilion Weekends over the summer."

"With a focus on society, community and vernacula...

Serpentine Pavilion is coming to Beijing this summer

2018-01-31T18:28:00-05:00

London-based Serpentine Galleries are branching out to China and will be opening the inaugural Serpentine Pavilion Beijing this May.

Announced as a collaboration with WF CENTRAL from Beijing, the new pavilion will be designed by JIAKUN Architects in the city's historic Dongcheng District, only a stones-throw away from the iconic Forbidden City.

According to the architects, the pavilion design takes inspiration from Confucianism, having the architecture act as a physical representation of the traditional pursuit of Junzi: "The design is characterized by the figure of the Archer, in the form of a curved cantilever beam that incorporates the forces of elasticity through cables stretched between steel plates. Although modern architecture in Beijing has developed a series of powerful techniques to fight the external forces of fierce winds and unpredictable earthquakes, the Pavilion's integral...