London's annual Serpentine Pavilion is gearing up for its grand opening on Friday with a first preview of this year's completed design by Korean architect Minsuk Cho. 

Envisioned together with his Seoul-based firm Mass Studies, the 23rd annual summer pavilion, titled Archipelagic Void, departs from the tradition of a single-structure installation and is, instead, comprised of five thematic 'islands' arranged around a central void, inspired by traditional Korean madang courtyards.

Acting as the main pavilion entry, the Gallery will feature a six-channel sound installation envisioned by musician and composer Jang Young-Gyu, presenting The Willow <버들은> during the summer months and Moonlight <월정명> in the fall.

Located in the north of the pavilion is The Library of Unread Books by artist Heman Chong and archivist Renée Staal. "Conceived as an artwork that functions as a ‘living’ reference library, each book has been donated by its previous owner to form a pool of common knowledge," the project description explains. "Visitors are welcome to contribute and submit an unread book in their possession to the growing collection. By making these titles accessible, The Library of Unread Books functions as a collective gesture, addressing notions of access and distribution."

Further programmatic 'islands' are the Tea House, a nod to the original function of the Serpentine South building as a teahouse; the pyramid-shaped Play Tower, inviting visitors to climb and interact inside its bright orange netscape; and the Auditorium, providing a gathering space for performances and public events.

"To realize the pavilion, we began by asking what can be uncovered and added to the Serpentine site, which has already explored over 20 iterations at the center of the lawn, from a roster of great architects and artists," Cho said at the initial unveiling of this year's design in January.

"To approach this new chapter differently, instead of viewing it as a carte blanche, we embraced the challenge of considering the many existing peripheral elements while exploring the center as a void. It also begins to address the history of the Serpentine Pavilion. By inverting the center as a void, we shift our architectural focus away from the built center of the past, facilitating new possibilities and narratives," he added finally.

The pavilion officially opens to the public on June 7, featuring a conversation of Minsuk Cho with Serpentine Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist. The program will conclude on October 27.