Zumthor's Serpentine Pavilion

II've just been to see Peter Zumthor's Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park, London, which was a powerful experience.

A number of things immediately stood out.

- Acoustically, sounds are muted as the hession that makes up the only material save for the benches absorbs sound, meaning you are more atuned to the sounds inside the pavilion than the dozens of footsteps that would be easily distracting.

- The overhanging eaves protect from the weather while allowing you to be outside. The indentation on the underside of the edge of the roof means that rain water flows in sheets precisely into the gravel at the edge of the planted area, so you don't get wet, it doesn't splash and the plants benefit. It also negates the need for a traditional gutter.

- The shifted bench away from the wall is more comfortable and lends an area to deposit things that are not in the way.

- You can't see in from the outside or out from the inside of the pavilion, except for the sky, which helps focus the mind. The separation is both acoustic and visual and helps create a sense of discovery and focus when you arrive at the garden.

- Keeping the slightly untamed core of the project, the plants, within a formal rectilinear enclosure creates a sense of power, of tamed chaos. The pavilion is within a park within a city, so the layers of inside and outside, scale and time are intertwined, recalling Dom Hans van der Laan's concepts of architectonic space.

- Generous walking zone around the planted area and gravelled intermediate area create a sense of relaxation.

- The darkness of the walls, the overhanging eaves and the light from above makes the colour and edge of each person inside it really stand out, you get very crisp silhouettes.

- The edges of the concrete paths leading into the pavilion are bevelled up the closer you get to the entrance to guide you in, though they contrast a lot with the material and precision of the pavilion building itself.

- Silver fire extinguishers don't distract as much as red ones would. Here's a little documentary about it:

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011 by Peter Zumthor from Serpentine Gallery on Vimeo.