‘A Capsule in Time’ by Marina Tabassum – Photos by ©Iwan Baan, courtesy of the Serpentine Galleries.

Architecture. This summer, London’s Kensington Gardens welcomes a poetic new addition: A Capsule in Time, the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by celebrated Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum. Known for her thoughtful, climate-conscious approach, Tabassum brings a structure that feels both timeless and of the moment—an ode to light, nature, and the rituals of gathering.

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Tabassum, the founder of Dhaka-based Marina Tabassum Architects, drew inspiration from the joy of strolling through a summer park and the filtering canopy of trees above. The pavilion’s form—a collection of four wooden capsules clad in translucent polycarbonate panels—gently plays with sunlight, casting a dappled, almost dreamlike glow across its interior. It’s a structure that invites reflection and connection, grounded in both geometry and atmosphere.

Aligned with the bell tower of Serpentine South, the pavilion doesn’t just sit in the landscape—it allows the park to flow in. One of the capsules is designed to move, allowing the configuration to shift and open up new spatial experiences. This kinetic element is a nod to South Asia’s Shamiyana tents: temporary fabric structures supported by bamboo poles, often used for community celebrations.

Tabassum remembers these tents from her childhood—the way light streamed through their fabric, the sense of intimacy and openness they created. “We tried to capture that memory,” she says. “We opened it up so that air and light can come through, but also it’s very connected to the environment of the park.”

Central to the pavilion’s design is a semi-mature Ginkgo tree—known for its climate resilience—which is carefully incorporated into the structure. After the pavilion’s season ends in October, the tree will be replanted in the park, continuing the story of renewal and care that runs through Tabassum’s work.

In another thoughtful touch, shelves built into the pavilion house a curated selection of books that celebrate Bengali culture—literature, poetry, ecology, and beyond. It’s part of Tabassum’s vision for the structure’s afterlife. Once its time at Serpentine concludes, the pavilion is intended to live on as a library—open, inclusive, and rooted in community.

Now in its 25th year, the Serpentine Pavilion commission continues to celebrate architectural innovation, a tradition that began with Dame Zaha Hadid. With A Capsule in Time, Tabassum adds a deeply personal and globally resonant chapter to that legacy.

“We hope people from all walks of life will come to this pavilion,” Tabassum reflects. “When people come together, they set aside their differences. They gather on a platform that is for all—and of the self.”

‘A Capsule in Time’ by Marina Tabassum – Photo by ©Iwan Baan, courtesy of the Serpentine Galleries.

The Serpentine Pavilion, a project by the Serpentine Galleries, was made possible with the support of Goldman Sachs.

All photos are by Iwan Baan.