Another 365 days, another architectural alien landing in the gardens of London’s Serpentine Gallery. Each year, a world- renowned architect is invited to plan and erect a structure in the Kensington Gardens, on the doorstep of one of London?s most revered ? and most secluded ? art galleries. It is considered one of the highest honors in the architectural world to design the Serpentine Pavilion. This time, that distinction went to Diébédo Francis Kéré, the first African architect to have ever been awarded the task. Kéré?s design was inspired by the structures native to his home in Burkina Faso, West Africa and is meant to resemble a tree that provides shade and shelter for people gather under.

The structure consists of a circular roof that is held up by a group of slender metal trusses at its center, not unlike a tree and its trunk. The roof sails above a set of free-standing indigo walls that were built using wooden batons. These three partitions loosely enclose the space, curving underneath the timber canopy to form an oval that matches the shape of the concrete base they rest upon. The light tones of the roof slats above contrast with the darkness of the walls underneath, creating an interesting tension between the two different treatments of timber.
In the center of the roof, an open ring allows natural light to pool into the pavilion below. On a bright day, the roof’s supporting trusses blend into the sunlight and make the entire structure look like ...