In honor of Jean Nouvel's upcoming Serpentine Pavilion, which will be erected outside London's Serpentine Gallery this summer, I thought I'd include a few images of Rem Koolhaas' effort from a few years earlier. Even though not my favourite Serpentine Pavilion - having preferred some of the work by of the Japanese contributors, such as Toyo Ito (with Cecil Balmond) in 2002, or the more recent reflective contraption by SANAA in 2009 (click here and here for posts of the pavilion featured earlier on this blog) - all the pavilion designs, nevertheless, have to be applauded as it is very seldom an architect has the opportunity to create such, quasi-practical, follies and let their imagination run wild... The aim with this design, if I remember correctly, was to adjust the height of its inflated 'balloon' roof depending on the weather and temperature, something that, due to a quite breezy London summer that year, seldom took place...
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The pavilion's interior...
High-density foam squares used as stools...
The ledge between the inflated roof and cylindrical wall...
A setting for covert whispers and dog walking...
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