Diébédo Francis Kéré rainwater-harvesting 2017 Serpentine Pavilion unveiled
The rainwater-harvesting pavilion was unveiled on a sunny day. However, when it rains, the pavilion will protect its visitors from drizzle by guiding precipitation into a central waterfall and storing it for irrigation of the surrounding park, as the Inhabitat reports.
The pavilion is sheltered by a curved canopy that spreads from a trunk of delicate steel columns, being modelled on the area beneath trees, where, according to Diébédo Francis Kéré, “can choose to gather, or enter, in different ways.” It was inspired by the shaded gathering places of the desert village in Burkina Faso where the architect grew up, according to Architectural Record.
“The pavilion that I was commissioned to do is inspired by a tree,” Kéré explained, according to Dezeen. “Where I come from in Burkina Faso, a tree is often a public space. It can be a kindergarten, it can be a market – a gathering place for everyone. The idea was to create a huge canopy that allows the visitors to feel the elements but being protected.”
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Kéré wanted to create a space that allows people to experience the elements of nature while also being protected. “When the clouds are moving you will see them through the transparent roof protecting you against the rain,” he said.
“We wanted to get human beings to experience the elements but being protected by a good shelter.”
The blocks that form the walls of the pavilion are a deep shade of indigo blue, which Kéré explained that has a special significance for him: in his culture, blue represents celebration. The pavilion is lit at night from within by strips of light.
This is also a reminiscence of Kéré’s childhood. “In Burkina Faso there is no electricity. At night it is dark. So what happens often is that young people go to elevated points to look around and if there is light, everyone goes to that place. There will be a celebration,” he explained.
The Serpentine Pavilion will be open to the public from 23 June to 8 October 2017.
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