Koolhaas/Balmond/Arup Serpentine Pavilion, 2006
The pavilion as a space for communal and temporary dialogue
Ed. This piece originally posted at cityofsound.com on 17th July 2006.It’s a near-obligatory post: photos of the collaboration between Rem Koolhaas, Cecil Balmond and Arup for this year’s Serpentine Pavilion.
Generally, it works. Conversations with Paul Schütze and Pete Besley both made me realise why I find Koolhaas’s work interesting: it’s his pathological and ongoing inability to typecast himself in predictable forms and restrict himself to particular approaches. I think this is partly due to his refusal to take a building on unless OMA get to deal with the context of the structure, the function of the building, the entire programme. Hence the integration of a fascinating-looking 24-hour interview marathon, Thomas Demand’s wallpapered installation, as well as the interior of black foam seats which can be shifted around the café at the user’s whim.
