8th Jul 2009

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009

We were delighted to be invited to construct the prestigious Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009. An in-depth understanding of a broad range of materials along with our diverse manufacturing capabilities, including specialist skills in the fabrication of structures using advanced composite sandwich panels and fibre reinforced polymer composites allow clients the potential to achieve maximum creative freedom and meant that we were ideally placed to successfully deliver the 2009 pavilion.

The 2009 pavilion was designed to give the impression of a floating, cloud-like structure, thus requiring a seamless finish. In order to achieve this we worked closely with engineering advisors ARUP, to accomplish a number of design solutions. We then developed and tested a number of technical processes to bring the pavilion to life.

The resulting structure was constructed using a sandwich panel technique, comprising of a composite of mirror polished aluminium skins bonded to a structural plywood core. Structural continuity was achieved by ingeniously interlocking the panels together, and the curvature of the pavilion accomplished using either curved panels that were preformed by moulds in our workshop, or by simply bending the panels on site and connecting them to the contoured structural columns via specially designed column head fixings.

Mark Johnson, Managing Director, Stage One, said "it was absolute honour to be invited to construct this prestigious piece of architecture and we were extremely proud to have played a significant part in the deliver of such a beautiful structure." He continued, "it is testament to the creativity, skills and professionalism of the entire team who worked tirelessly to ensure that the completed structure would faithfully represent the architects vision."