15th Jul 2010

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010

The prestigious Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, designed by Jean Nouvel, is now open to the public. Appointed as the main build contractor for the Pavilion, we were responsible for the manufacture and installation of all the structural steelwork, flooring, the 12m high freestanding wall, the steel frames for the awnings, bar and chess areas and the seven metres high stell-framed glass cube section. Our involvement in the construction of the 2010 Pavilion, which required completely different manufacturing capabilities to the 2009 Pavilion, for which we were also the main build contractor, highlights the truly diverse range of skills and services we can offer to our clients.

Working closely with Jean Nouvel's design team, Mace, ARUP and the Serpentine Gallery we helped to develop the design; sourcing and testing numerous red materials for their potential use. This included a staggering array of different paint finishes. As a result of this process we were able to identify a number of practical design solutions, such as the extensive use of the unique self-draining rubber chip flooring that has been used throughout the Pavilion.

We completed the build in less than eight weeks, using our extensive workshop facilities to fabricate the 45 tonnes of steel required for the Pavilion. This was then transferred to site for erection by our experienced installation team. The Pavilion will remain in place until October.