A look at the 16th temporary pavilion in Kensington Gardens, created by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).

This year’s Serpentine Pavilion is designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

This summer sees the return of the Serpentine Pavilion, a temporary structure in Kensington Gardens. Every year, the Serpentine Gallery invites an international architect to create a pavilion in their grounds. Now in its 16th year, the opening of the Serpentine Pavilion has become a big event on the London art scene. This year, the structure has been created by Denmark’s Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The group follows in the footsteps of past architects who have created Pavilions for the Gallery, including Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Oscar Niemeyer, Sou Fujimoto, Smiljan Radić and Selgascano. In addition this year, four architects have designed four 25sqm summer houses inspired by the 18th century Queen Caroline’s Temple in the park.

This year’s pavilion is an ‘unzipped wall’ of 1,800 fibreglass boxes. The walls of the pyramid swell at the bottom, creating a cave-like environment inside. From certain angles, it almost looks like a pixellated building. As in previous years, the Pavilion contains a café inside so you can sit and enjoy the moving light and shade while having a snack or refreshment.

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• The Serpentine Pavilion is open from now until 9 October 2016. Kensington Gardens, Kensington, W2 3XA. Nearest stations: Lancaster Gate, Knightsbridge or South Kensington. Open daily from 10am-6pm. Free entry. For more information, visit the Serpentine Gallery website.

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