Diébédo Francis Kéré to design the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion

This year, the Serpentine Pavilion will be designed by African architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, principal at Kéré Architecture and currently based in Berlin. An established summertime destination for locals and visitors alike, the Serpentine Pavilion is Kéré’s first London project. Known for designing socially engaged architecture, the Burkina Faso-born architect describes his design for the pavilion as a ‘micro-cosmos’ and a ‘community structure’ that combines cultural references to his homeland with experimental construction techniques.
Supported by a steel structure, a liberal wooden canopy provides a wide space for activities within, protecting its temporary inhabitants from the rain, yet channelling the rays of the sun through an oculus in the roof and into a central courtyard. The oculus is also balanced to funnel water from the roof, cascading down into a waterfall, before it joins a drainage system collecting water to irrigate Kensington Gardens.
Four points of entry will allow access into the pavilion's welcoming, open space
Responsive to the unpredictable nature of the British summertime, the structure provides shelter for all types of weather. For the walls, prefabricated wooden blocks will be assembled into triangular modules with apertures between the blocks allowing light to filter through. Patterns of shadows will be cast into the space during the day while at night the pavilion will be illuminated from the inside.
‘This combination of features promotes a sense of freedom and community; like the shade of the tree branches, the pavilion becomes a place where people can gather and share their daily experiences,’ says Kéré. In his hometown of Gando, the tree is a central meeting point, connecting people to nature and each other, which was a key inspiration for him.
Kéré’s past projects include the Gando School extension in Burkina Faso.
Kéré is seventeenth in line to accept the commission, which started in 2000, following the likes of Zaha Hadid who designed the inaugural pavilion; Frank Gehry in 2008; Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei, 2012; and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), last year. In contrast to BIG’s structure – a futuristic wave of pixelated blocks, which was one of the most visited to date – Kéré’s pavilion has been designed from the inside, out, prioritising activities and conjuring a sense of community through its circular plan.
‘Fundamental to my architecture is a sense of openness,’ he says. ‘My experience of growing up in a remote desert village has instilled a strong awareness of the social, sustainable, and cultural implications of design. I believe that architecture has the power to, surprise, unite, and inspire all while mediating important aspects such as community, ecology and economy,’ says Kéré.
Ahead of the unveiling of his Serpentine Pavilion, we take a look at some of Kéré’s past projects, including the Gando Primary School.
A classroom at the Gando Primary School.
The architect designed a series of structures and complexes for the National Park of Mali, in Bamako, 2010
In 2015, Kéré imagined the Camper pop-up shop at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany
The installation comprises a ring-shaped structure to display shoes
INFORMATION
The Serpentine Pavilion will be on view from 23 June – 8 October. For more information, visit the Serpentine Gallery website
ADDRESS
Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens
London W2 3XA
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
The 2025 British Pavilion in Venice offered up a Geology of Britannic Repair
The 2025 British Pavilion in Venice is curated by an Anglo-Kenyan team of architects and designers; titled 'GBR: Geology of Britannic Repair', it explores the landscape of colonialism, its past, present and futures
-
A Venice sneak peek into the new Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel
A new home for Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel will open later this year in Paris; in the meantime, the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 offered the perfect platform for a sneak preview of what's to come
-
Let's go outside: ten outdoor furniture ranges we love
Our round-up of outdoor furniture brings together work by leading designers and studios, blending contemporary forms with enduring materials designed to elevate open-air living
-
The Tate Modern is hosting a weekend of free events. Here's what to see
From 9 -12 May, check out art, attend a lecture, or get your groove on during the museum's epic Birthday Weekender
-
Artist Zumba Luzamba on the vibrant aesthetic of Congolese fashion rebels, the sapeurs
The Congolese artist takes a deep dive into a fashion subculture in his show at London's Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery. ‘I draw people in with style so that they can sit with deeper themes,’ he says
-
‘The work is an extension of myself’: Michaela Yearwood-Dan on her debut show at Hauser & Wirth
London-based artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan continues her rapid rise, unveiling monumental new paintings in ‘No Time for Despair’
-
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be shown at Tate Modern
The 42-panel quilt, which commemorates those affected by HIV and AIDS, will be displayed in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in June 2025
-
Meet the Turner Prize 2025 shortlisted artists
Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa are in the running for the Turner Prize 2025 – here they are with their work
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuit
Ella Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyers
An exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion
-
Artist Qualeasha Wood explores the digital glitch to weave stories of the Black female experience
In ‘Malware’, her new London exhibition at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, the American artist’s tapestries, tuftings and videos delve into the world of internet malfunction