Serpentine Pavilion - MVRDV

The Serpentine Gallery announced today that Dutch practice MVRDV will design the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2004, supported by Eurex. This will be the fifth in the Gallery's series of annual architectural commissions, which have won international acclaim for their unique approach to showcasing contemporary architecture. Architects of past Pavilions are Oscar Niemeyer (2003), Toyo Ito with Arup (2002), Daniel Libeskind with Arup (2001) and Zaha Hadid (2000).

MVRDV have been working since early 2004 on a scheme that will redefine the concept of the Pavilion. Construction of this radical and exciting design begins in late 2004 for opening in spring 2005.

Julia Peyton-Jones, Serpentine Gallery Director and Project Director of the Pavilion, said: "It is a privilege to be working with MVRDV as the architects of the fifth Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. Their proposal is inspiring and, once again, will afford the public and the architectural community an opportunity to see at first hand the work of a leading international architectural practice that has yet to complete a building in the UK."

MVRDV said: "We relish the opportunity to design a structure for the Serpentine's annual architecture commission. Our proposal for this year's Pavilion responds to the specific physical and social context of the Gallery's location and we are so pleased to be working on such a unique project."

MVRDV was founded in 1991 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. The Rotterdam-based practice, named using the initials of its founders, has rapidly established a worldwide reputation for its innovative, team-led approach to design and urban planning. As a result of this research-based approach MVRDV buildings are all very different, as the practice eschews a signature style in favour of a design created from the specific requirements of each structure. The use of non-traditional materials is another notable feature of MVRDV's design.

For the second year running, the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion will be supported by Eurex, the world's largest futures and options market. Chief Executive Officer Rudolf Ferscha said: “We are delighted to be associated with one of London's finest and most accessible modern and contemporary art galleries and the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion offers us a fantastic opportunity to interact with our London-based customers and the community at large. Eurex stands for open and equal access to financial markets. We connect people across borders and, in this spirit, we support this exciting project.”

Engineers Arup will again play a key role in the realisation of the structure. Cecil Balmond, Deputy Chairman of Arup, said: "MVRDV has shown a boldness to explore materials and configuration not just of buildings but of information systems and data, how one becomes the other, and in architecture the contemporary being a continuous exchange of space and material - a perfect answer to the Serpentine Pavilion in the park."

Jessica Cargill Thompson, Features Editor of Time Out, Media Partner, said: “Each year the Serpentine Pavilion seems to get bolder and more ambitious; once again the gallery has surprised us with its enviable bravado. MVRDV are known for playful structures that consistently subvert the idea of a formal building type, be it apartments that cantilever out from their host block or offices with undulating floors. Time Out is very excited that the practice is bringing some of this beautiful anarchy to London and can't wait to visit what promises to be another incredible pavilion.”

MVRDV Among acclaimed early projects realised by the architects were the headquarters for Public Broadcasting Company VPRO in Hilversum, Netherlands, and their housing scheme for the elderly, WoZoCos, in Amsterdam (both 1997). International projects realised by MVRDV include the Dutch Pavilion for the World Exhibition 2000 in Hanover, Germany, the business park Flight Forum in Eindhoven, Netherlands (2001) and the Matsudai Cultural Village Centre in Japan (2003).

Current projects either in the design or build stage include a cultural centre in Eindhoven, the municipal library in Spijkenisse, an urban plan for the Oslo harbour area and housing projects in Amsterdam, The Hague, Madrid and Beijing. MVRDV has won a number of awards including the 2004 Amsterdam Arts Prize for Architecture for its work as a whole. They have also been honoured for many of their individual projects including the Dutch Pavilion in Hanover that won the Belmont Prize from the German Forberg Schneider Foundation and was nominated for a World Architecture Award. Four of their realised projects have been nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award, including most recently a housing project in Ypenburg, Netherlands. As in previous years, the Pavilion will be offered for sale. Pressetext

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2004/5 - MVRDV
Integrated design: Arup