Marina Tabassum's kinetic 2025 Serpentine Pavilion opens

The 2025 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Bangladeshi architect and educator Marina Tabassum and her firm Marina Tabassum Architects, opens to the public on 6 June.

The pavilion, titled A Capsule in Time, is located at the Serpentine South Gallery in London. Inspired by an arched garden canopy, the pavilion's form resembles a capsule with its mass divided into four portions and an open-air courtyard positioned at the centre. One of the sections is kinetic and can slide to connect or disconnect with the neighbouring elements, effectively transforming the pavilion into a different space.

According to a communique published by Serpentine, the design harnesses light as a way to enhance the qualities of the space. A timber and translucent facade gently diffuses natural light throughout the pavilion. "Tabassum's Pavilion, like much of Tabassum's previous projects, considers the threshold between inside and outside, the tactility of material, lightness and darkness, height and volume."

In the courtyard stands a semi-mature ginkgo tree, around which the pavilion has been built. Serpentine stated that the ginkgo was selected because the species is "showing tolerance to climate change and contributes to a diverse treescape in Kensington Gardens." Serpentine confirmed that the tree will be replanted in the park after the Pavilion's exhibition.

Tabassum's pavilion marks the 25th year of the Serpentine Pavilion commission.

The pavilion will be open to the public from 6 June 2025 until 26 October 2025.