We are delighted to announce that this year’s Serpentine Pavilion will be designed by South African studio, Counterspace. Established in 2015, Counterspace’s three directors Sumayya Vally, Sarah de Villiers and Amina Kaskar will be the youngest architects to design the pavilion and we look forward to working with them on this exciting and radical design.

The pavilion centres on the experiences of London’s migrant communities, using different textures, shapes and gradients to reference these communities. Buildings and structures from across London will be referenced in the shape of the pavilion’s generous openings, while the structure itself will evolve over the summer, additional elements initially installed across London being added over time. Hidden histories and forgotten spaces will weave their way through the pavilion, with the integration of architectural fragments and anthropological elements such as screen-printed texts of community voices.

The pavilion will employ a mix of low-tech and high-tech approaches to sustainability, using a variety of materials that include cork and K-Briqs made from 90% recycled construction and demolition waste and manufactured without firing.