Construction is now underway for the 2018 Serpentine Pavilion, which is scheduled to open in June in time for summer outdoor festivities at the Serpentine Galleries in London. Mexican architect Frida Escobedo — who was commissioned to design the 2018 pavilion in February — is working with AECOM, contractor Stage One Creative Services, and the Serpentine Galleries to bring the anticipated installation to life.

Escobedo's design fuses elements of Mexican domestic architecture and British materials and history, while playfully integrating light, water, and geometry.

The pavilion comprises two rectangular volumes positioned at an angle to form an enclosed courtyard — a common feature of Mexican domestic architecture. The courtyard's axis will be directed to the north, in reference to the Prime Meridian that was established at Greenwich in 1851.

The design largely uses British-made materials and includes a traditional Mexican breeze wall called a celosia, which will be made of a lattice of cement roof tiles that “diffuses” views of the surrounding park. The canopy's curved, mirror-clad underside and a triangular reflective pool on the floor of the pavilion will create a play of light and shadow as the sun moves across the sky.