Serpentine Pavilion 2026: LANZA Atelier

The Serpentine Pavilion 2026 marks the series’ 25th anniversary with a commission from LANZA Atelier, a Mexico City studio founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo. The design, titled A Serpentine, takes its formal cue from the crinkle-crankle wall, a traditional English garden feature characterised by its sinuous single-brick construction, a form that also gives the programme its name.

The pavilion is divided into two distinct elements: a primary habitable space topped with a transparent roof and an outdoor gathering area bordered by a winding brick bench. The use of red brick connects the structure directly to the facade of the Serpentine South Gallery, creating a material conversation between the new pavilion and the existing building it sits alongside each summer.

LANZA Atelier is the second Mexican studio to receive the commission, following Frida Escobedo in 2018. For architects and designers, the pavilion represents a useful study in how a tightly constrained brief can still generate architecture that is formally distinctive and materially considered. It remains on view through 25 October 2026.