Pavilion as an architecture of new placeness : a case of Serpentine Pavilion project

Abstract

Pavilions are flexible, open architectural structures, usually erected in parks and gardens. And they played a significant role in the political and cultural propaganda through international exhibitions in the 19th century, as well as in the presentations of new technologies and materials. By focusing on the concept of temporality, this study takes a novel approach and examines the role of the pavilion from the perspective of nomadic, wandering cultures through a case of Serpentine Pavilion Project. This study is based on the interpretive and critical approach which relies on gathering cases and references about the phenomenon or literature in hand. We provide a history overview and trace the changes in the concept of place at the dawn of the modern era, investigating how the Serpentine Pavilion reflects a modern understanding of placeness. Essentially, it argues that the pavilion, as a special temporary architectural form, can be used as the foundation of modern discourse on placeness. As a material and spatial alternative to such placeness, the pavilion constitutes an important architectural type.

Keywords

• pavilion
• placeness
• temporality
• the serpentine pavilion
• place for events