Mexico’s Lanza Atelier to Design 2026 Serpentine Pavilion
38Jan. 22, 2026
Mexican architecture studioLanza Atelierhas been announced as the designer of the 2026Serpentine Pavilion. The chance to build a temporary summer pavilion outside London’sSerpentinecontemporary art gallery has since 2000 been offered annually to an international architect who has not yet built a structure in England. Past pavilion designers include Marina Tabassum, Zaha Hadid, Toyo Ito, Rem Koolhaas, Frank Gehry, Frida Escobedo, and Theaster Gates.
Founded in Mexico City in 2015 by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo,Lanza Atelieris known for designs centered on collective experience and the elevation of the mundane and informal. The partners are particularly interested in hands-on design methods including drawing and modelmaking. Titleda serpentine, their pavilion is inspired by the crinkle crankle wall, a snaking English architecture feature that harkens back to the sinusoidal walls of Ancient Egypt. Owing to the stability of its curvilinear form, this type of wall, which will form one side of the pavilion, requires fewer bricks than a straight wall. A second wall will harmonize with the surrounding greenery, while a translucent roof will rest atop brick columns meant to evoke a grove of trees. An outdoor area will feature a winding brick bench. The choice of brick as a material is meant as a tribute to the English garden tradition and is intended to respond to the brick exterior of the Serpentine South Gallery.
“Over the last ten years the Serpentine Pavilion has increasingly focused on giving opportunities to younger architectural practices,” said Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine, in a statement. 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. In their own words, they create contemporary spaces whose energy can last. Their spaces invite people to imagine a more connected, compassionate and creative future.”
Lanza Atelier’s pavilion will be on view outside of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens from June 6 to October 25. This year’s pavilion marks the twenty-fifth edition of the Serpentine Pavilion, whose inaugural commission went to Iraqi British architect Zaha Hadid (1950–2016). In celebration, the gallery is collaborating with the Zaha Hadid Foundation on a series of talks.