5 unbuilt pavilions due to COVID-19. EMPYREAN TEMPLE by Laurence Verbeck and Sylvia Adrienne Lisse @ Burning Man – Image by by Laurence Verbeck and Sylvia Adrienne Lisse.
Coronavirus – This summer will definitely be quieter. As the world grapples to contain COVID-19, many international events, fairs and festivals have been canceled due to lockdowns, social distancing measures and travel bans. We have selected 6 unbuilt pavilions across the globe we are hoping to see in 2021!
- RELATED STORIES: read more about summer 2020 architecture and design…
Burning Man’s Empyream Temple
Image by by Laurence Verbeck and Sylvia Adrienne Lisse.
The now canceled Burning Man festival used to rise from its ashes every summer in the Nevada desert. Called Empyrean, the festival’s main temple was designed by Renzo Verbeck and artist Sylvia Adrienne Lisse: “it comes in the shape of a compass rose beacon, a monumental construct of light and shadow orienting distant seekers, beckoning them in on their quest for energy”.
The eight-pointed angular structure was supposed to be constructed using conventional framing lumber and latticework walls. Emyprean“represent the region just beyond our physical realm that is the also birthplace of fire.” The unbuilt pavilion would have been burned on the final day of Burning Man.
Serpentine Pavilion
Photo by Counterspace.
The 2020 Serpentine Pavilion will open next year. Designed by South African studio Counterspace, the temporary architecture is made of corks and bricks from 90% recycled construction and demolition waste.
The pavilion focuses on the experiences of London’s migrant communities. “Covid-19 has brought the pavilion themes of community and gathering sharply into focus – allowing us the opportunity to extend and deepen or engagement process over two years.” Explains Counterspace’s co-founder Sumayya Vally.
National Pavilions at Venice Biennale
Australian Pavilion building @ La biennale di Venezia by Denton Corker Marshall – Photo by John Gollings.
“The world is putting new challenges in front of architecture” stated Hashim Sarkis, curator of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. Venice Biennale 2020 “called on architects to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together”. The world’s most influential architecture event has been delayed by one year and will kick off on May 22, 2021. The Biennale would have featured almost 60 national pavilions plus the main exhibitions and collateral events and exhibitions.
Curated by Tristan Wong and Jefa Greenaway the Australian Pavilion focused on “the connections between the indigenous cultures of the country”. Australia was the first participant to pull off from the Biennale back in April.
Pavilion of African Diaspora & London Design Biennale
Image by Ini Archibong.
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests against racial inequality around the world, London-based designer Ini Archibong launched a a fundraiser to build the Pavilion of Diaspora at the London Design Biennale, schedule the end of the summer. The structure is inspired by conch shells and represents all Africans and their descendants who migrated from the continent or were forcibly removed through slavery.
“I came to the idea of the conch shell when thinking about the fact that, no matter what shores we ended up, we assemble when the rallying call is made,” Archibong said to Dezeen. London Design Biennale has been postponed until June 2021.
Tokyo Olympic Pavilions
Tokyo Olympics 2020 has been postponed to 2021 – Kengo Kuma’s Stadium in Tokyo. Japan.
Six world-renowned Japanese architects and one artist were supposed to complete 7 one-of-a-kind pavilions showcasing the future architectural designs and art at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art in the Japanese capital.
The structures by Terunobu Fujimori, Kazuyo Sejima, Sou Fujimoto, Junya Ishigami, Akihisa Hirata, Teppei Fujiwara and Makoto Aida would have been located within a 3km radius of the city’s New National Stadium. The special projects have been rescheduled due the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Games to 2021.
