Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
London, UK
Year:
2006
Material:
PVC-coated polyester fabric, clear PVC foil, ETFE foil
Area
1.620 m² (hull), 720 m² (ballonet)
Client:
Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
Architect:
Rem Koolhaas & Cecil Balmond
Engineering:
Ove Arup, London, UK
The Cosmic Egg - A Giant Inflatable Structure
Each summer, the Serpentine Gallery commissions an internationally acclaimed architect to design a temporary Pavilion for its lawn.
The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2006 was co-designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Rem Koolhaas and innovative structural designer Cecil Balmond. The centrepiece of the design is a spectacular ovoid-shaped inflatable canopy that floats above the Gallery’s lawn. Made from translucent material, the structure is illuminated from within at night. The Pavilion design incorporates a helium- and air-filled inflatable roof that can be raised and lowered to accommodate the activities within the structure. The opening of the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2006 was a great success and received quite the national and international media coverage.
Another application where Hightex’s position as a world leader in creating tensile structures and fabric architecture in tensioned membranes such as PTFE, PVC, and ETFE is realised.
