The Serpentine Gallery (London, England, 2011) The Serpentine Gallery is a yearly pop-up architectural event that consists of a pavilion that is designed by a different architect. The 2011 incarnation was designed by Peter Zumthor and is a simply, and seemingly solid black form located on a green field. The building is rectangular in form and low-slung in height. In plan, it exists as two rectangular spaces, one within the other. A hallway is then created in the first layer and in the second, is the main pavilion seating space oriented around a long central green space. The whole pavilion then, resembles a typical cloister in the way that it expresses a stark contrast between a closed exterior and a supple and contemplative interior garden. The focus then, Zumthor says, is on the inside, which is supposed to be a contemplative space for thinking, relaxing, and listening to the qualities of silence being interrupted by nature.
The selection of Zumthor’s works that are seen here are no doubt, ‘simple’. As simplistic as it may be, his work is multifaceted in that in person, they simply ‘exist’ in the site and have a composed musical silence that allows a user to experience its characteristics. It is in this simplicity however, that he is able to speak profoundly to a user by doing away with extraneous components. He only designs what is absolutely necessary. His forms are pure and distilled. His paths through the buildings and the implied uses of a space are fully thought out. The entirety of a material, wall, space, or path is expressed simply and in harmony with each other. His work shares a simple form and demonstrates a restraint in the architect’s design decisions. The materials and colours of his work demonstrate a similar palette. All of his buildings are different in their manifestations as a result of Zumthor’s insightful response to site. A different spiritual experience is offered in each building, relating to the unique aspects of the various programs. Their form is different in the way that it reacts to the different landscapes. 12