London’s Serpentine Galleries has announced that Diébédo Francis Kéré, Principal of Berlin-based Kéré Architecture, has been commissioned to design the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion. The award-winning architect from Gando in Burkino Faso has designed what is described “as a bold, innovative structure that brings his characteristic sense of light and life to the lawns of Kensington Gardens.”According to Serpentine Galleries, Francis Kéré has taken inspiration from the tree that functions as a central meeting point for life in his home town Gando, envisioning a responsive pavilion that aims to connect its visitors to nature and to each other. The design mimics a tree’s canopy with its expansive roof supported by a central steel framework.Reflecting his commitment to socially engaged and ecological design, Francis Kéré has implemented positive responses to London’s ever-changing weather. The wooden roof and wall system act as solar shading by day, with the perforated walls becoming a source of illumination a night. An oculus funnels rainwater into a waterfall effect before evacuating it for later user in irrigating the park.Commenting on the commission, Francis Kéré said: “In Burkina Faso, I am accustomed to being confronted with climate and natural landscape as a harsh reality. For this reason, I was interested in how my contribution to this Royal Park could not only enhance the visitor’s experience of nature, but also provoke a new way for people to connect with each other.”Serpentine Galleries CEO, Yana Peel, and Artistic Director, Hans Ulrich Obrist, said: “We are thrilled to reveal the designs for Francis Kéré’s Pavilion, which highlight the power of simplicity by reducing architecture to its core elements, modelled in harmony with the natural context of Royal Kensington Gardens.” Read more