Notting Hill Carnival pavilion provides ‘a place to lime’ in London
A Notting Hill Carnival pavilion by Sumayya Vally and Alvaro Barrington draws on ‘the identities, mythologies, and rituals surrounding the Afro-Caribbean community'

Amidst the feather-lined outfits, dazzling performances, and bustling crowds at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival sat an elegant, tiered structure that provided a well-needed zone of respite. The publicly accessible Notting Hill Carnival pavilion was a powerful collaboration between South African architect Sumayya Vally and London-based artist Alvaro Barrington. ‘Centering around themes of belonging, the project speaks to the identities, mythologies, and rituals surrounding the Afro-Caribbean community,' says Vally.
After meeting Vally at the 2021 Serpentine Pavilion last year, Barrington approached the co-founder of Counterspace to design a carnival scheme that produced the same sense of community that her Hyde Park structure achieved. ‘When I saw Sumayya’s pavilion, I was deeply moved. There was a strong feeling of freedom that flowed through the space,' says Barrington.
Charged with designing the structure, Vally researched key moments, spatial conditions, and groups that led Claudia Jones to establish Europe's largest street festival in 1958 – the Caribbean Carnival event, which later evolved into the annual Notting Hill Carnival. Two notable buildings that Vally studied were the historic Mangrove restaurant, which was an important symbol of resistance for the Afro-Caribbean community in Notting Hill, and the former church-turned-community hub, The Tabernacle. ‘For this project, we also looked at important Caribbean characters, traditions, and cultures, while honouring expansive geographies,’ says the architect.
Nestled on Great Western Road, next to the judging zone on Sunday 28 August and Monday 29 August 2022, the stepped sculpture formed a place where people could take a break as revellers paraded the streets of West London. ‘The idea of resting is such a powerful invitation. This pavilion is a place for you to lime,’ says Barrington. In the Caribbean ‘liming’ or ‘to lime’ is a phrase used to describe people hanging out, chatting, and taking it easy. While many may have needed a break from the action, that isn't the only purpose the structure serves. The form also works as a humble performance platform, a backdrop for a stage, or a shaded retreat from the summer sun.
The structure consists of interlocking plywood elements; ‘We wanted to use materials and construction logic that were tied to the Caribbean and the language of its regions,’ says Vally. Here, the traditional elevated wooden homes of Barbados, Guyana, and Jamaica, with their steps and raised porches, come to mind. Towering 3m above the road, the triangular pavilion was originally installed incompletely. During the opening parade, community members finished the mountainous building by assembling the final pieces after their procession. This process is a nod to different identities coming together during Notting Hill Carnival. ‘I wanted the structure to have something of diasporic logic in how it works. So, we decided to have parts that can live separately but have moments where they can come together.’
For Vally, one of the starting points for the project was a poignant photo of a woman carrying an item on her head during a Candomblé ceremony on the beach of Copacabana, Brazil. ‘In this image, the woman is honouring her ancestors. The object on her head can be likened to a small shrine for those that came before her,’ says Vally. ‘With this project I wanted to create something that honours the elders who were integral in making this part of London home for others.’
The pavilion forms part of a larger project that will consider different forms of living. ‘The impetus for this was always about immigration and why people leave their homes to go to new lands,’ says Barrington. Moving forward, the duo aim to use culture to address the needs of communities. ‘The next part of the project is about homes and how you become acquainted with spaces,’ says Barrington. Through architecture, the pair aim to amplify the voices of people of the African Diaspora, celebrating linked histories of cultural production while also producing places to lime.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
INFORMATION
Shawn Adams is an architect, writer, and lecturer who currently teaches at Central St Martins, UAL and the Architectural Association. Shawn trained as an architect at The Royal College of Art, Architectural Association and University of Portsmouth. He is also the co-founder of the socially-minded design practice Power Out of Restriction. In 2023, POoR won the London Design Festival’s Emerging Design Medal. Shawn writes for numerous international magazines about global architecture and design and aims to platform the voices of those living across the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa.
-
Tuneshine is a new way of bringing back the lost art of the album cover
The compact Tuneshine screen uses LED tech to illuminate the artwork of whatever you’re currently streaming
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
What to see at Rencontres d’Arles 2025, questioning power structures in the state and family
Suppressed memories resurface in sharply considered photography at Rencontres d'Arles 2025. Here are some standout photographers to see
-
The inimitable Norman Foster: our guide to the visionary architect, shaping the future
Norman Foster has shaped today's London and global architecture like no other in his field; explore his work through our ultimate guide to this most impactful contemporary architect
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building
The 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it