Bangladeshi architect and educator Marina Tabassum and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects, have been selected to design the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion. Titled "A Capsule in Time," the proposal takes inspiration from the ephemeral nature of architecture in the Bengal Delta, incorporating a semi-transparent structure intended to evoke a sense of community and connection. The Pavilion will open to the public on June 6th, until 26 October 2025, with a press preview two days before the opening. Tabassum's pavilion will mark the 25th year since the Serpentine's first commission of Zaha Hadid's inaugural structure in Hyde Park in 2000.
The 2025 Serpentine Pavilion presents an elongated form oriented along a north-south axis, with a central courtyard precisely aligned to the bell tower of Serpentine South. Drawing from the cultural practice of park-going and the architectural language of arched garden canopies, the Pavilion evokes the experience of filtered light passing through foliage. The structure is composed of four wooden capsule-like volumes, each enclosed in a translucent skin that softens and diffuses natural light throughout the interior. Marking Marina Tabassum's first project constructed entirely in wood, the Pavilion foregrounds the role of light as both material and atmosphere. Through careful modulation of scale, geometry, and the dynamic interaction of light and shadow, the design explores architecture's capacity to engage the senses and suggest moments of reflection. A kinetic component, allowing one of the capsule forms to move and reconfigure the space, introduces a shifting spatial narrative, offering an evolving experience of the Pavilion throughout the season.
Centered around a semi-mature Ginkgo tree, a resilient species with origins tracing back to the early Jurassic period, Marina Tabassum's Pavilion continues her exploration of thresholds between interior and exterior space. Throughout the summer into autumn, the Ginkgo's foliage will gradually transition from green to a vibrant golden yellow, introducing a seasonal dimension to the Pavilion's experience. The choice of the Ginkgo reflects its notable resilience in the face of climate change and its role in contributing to the ecological diversity of Kensington Gardens. Selected for its resistance to pests and diseases, the tree is intended to be replanted in the park following the Pavilion's deconstruction in October.
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A Look at the Last 8 Editions of the Serpentine PavilionIn July, Serpentine and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, Köln, will co-publish a catalogue to accompany the Pavilion. Designed by Wolfe Hall, the publication brings together new perspectives from architecture and art, offering reflections on Marina Tabassum's Pavilion and broader practice. Richly illustrated in colour, it includes essays by Perween Hasan, Deborah Berke, Thomas de Monchaux, and Shumon Basar, alongside visual contributions from artists Rana Begum and Naeem Mohaiemen. The catalogue also features reproductions of Tabassum's sketchbook drawings, a photo essay by Iwan Baan, and in-depth conversations with Hans Ulrich Obrist and David Chipperfield.
When conceiving our design, we reflected on the transient nature of the commission which appears to us as a capsule of memory and time. The relationship between time and architecture is intriguing: between permanence and impermanence, of birth, age and ruin; architecture aspires to outlive time. Architecture is a tool to live behind legacies, fulfilling the inherent human desire for continuity beyond life. In the Bengal delta, architecture is ephemeral as dwellings change locations with the rivers shifting courses. Architecture becomes memories of the lived spaces continued through tales. The archaic volume of a half capsule, generated by geometry and wrapped in light semi-transparent material will create a play of filtered light that will pierce through the structure as if under a Shamiyana at a Bengali wedding. The Serpentine Pavilion offers a unique platform under the summer sun to unite as people rich in diversity. The stage is set, the seats are placed. We envision various events and encounters taking place in this versatile space that unifies people through conversations and connections. - Marina Tabassum, Architect, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA)
The previous pavilion, "Archipelagic Void," designed by Minsuk Cho of Mass Studies, was open to the public from June 7th to October 27th, 2024, in London's Kensington Gardens. Continuing the direction of previous designers, Minsuk Cho used references from his local context to design a space that encourages interaction and community gathering. Beyond design, the pavilion has represented an opportunity to explore and promote wider ideals of sustainability and labor ethics. For the 21st Pavilion, Theaster Gates collaborated with NGOs to ensure an ethical production process and eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on January 28, 2025, and updated on May 21, 2025.
