Lanza Atelier revealed as 2026 Serpentine Pavilion architect
Mexican studio Lanza Atelier has released visuals of its design for this year's Serpentine Pavilion in London, which references an English brick garden wall.
Aptly named A Serpentine, the sinuous brick structure will be installed outside of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens from 6 June to 25 October 2026.
Lanza Atelier's design specifically references a serpentine – a one-brick-thick wall with a snake-like shape, otherwise known as a crinkle-crankle wall.
They are often found in English gardens, but originated in ancient Egypt and were brought to England by Dutch engineers. They are celebrated for their structural efficiency, which means they require fewer bricks than a straight wall for stability.
"We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to share our work with a wider public and to contribute to the pavilion's ongoing legacy of experimentation and collective encounter," said Lanza Atelier.
"Set within a garden, an evocation of the natural world, the project takes the form of a serpentine wall, conceived as a device that both reveals and withholds: shaping movement, modulating rhythm, and framing resholds of proximity, orientation, and pause."
Like a traditional crinkle-crankle wall, the pavilion will be constructed from red brick. This also pays homage to the facade of the Serpentine South Gallery.
The studio's design is divided into two halves. One of these will be the pavilion's main habitable space, which will be topped with a transparent roof, and a second will be an outdoor gathering area bordered by a winding brick bench.
"Inspired by the figure of the serpent as a generative and protective force, we draw a parallel with England's winding fruit walls, which are structures that temper climate, create shelter, and enable growth," said Lanza Atelier.
"From this idea emerges a pavilion built of simple clay brick, foregrounding vernacular craft and the elemental capacity of architecture to bring people together."
Lanza Atelier was founded in Mexico City in 2015 by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo. During the pavilion's installation, the Serpentine Gallery will publish the studio's first monograph.
Previous pavilions by the studio include a circular platform cloaked by water-dripping chains on the plaza of a Mexico City shopping centre and a temporary wood-and-steel structure to function as a gathering space in a Mexico City courtyard.
In an exclusive interview with Dezeen marking the pavilion's announcement, Lanza Atelier said "its time to bring new Mexican architecture to the table".
This year's pavilion marks the 25th edition of the Serpentine Pavilion, which began in 2000 with Zaha Hadid. To mark the anniversary, the gallery is collaborating with the Zaha Hadid Foundation on a series of talks.
"Over the last 10 years, the Serpentine Pavilion has increasingly focused on giving opportunities to younger architectural practices," said Serpentine Gallery's artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist.
"We are excited to announce that Mexican architects Lanza Atelier will design the 2026 Serpentine Pavilion. Lanza Atelier's architecture always involves a deep engagement with the local context, materials and lived experience," he said.
"As always, the pavilion will be a content machine with lectures, film screenings and performances," added Obrist.
"We will also remember Zaha Hadid, who gave us our motto that 'there should be no end to experimentation'."
Lanza Atelier is the second Mexican architect to create the Serpentine Pavilion, following Frida Escobedo in 2018. Escobedo's design took the form of a secluded courtyard framed by decorative, latticed walls.
Last year's pavilion was crafted by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum from wood and polycarbonate panels.
The renders are by Lanza Atelier, courtesy of Serpentine.
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