BIG SERPENTINE PAVILION

San Jose, CA

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A decommissioned asphalt parking lot slated for redevelopment in San José’s South First Area (SoFA) was the host site of a yearlong ‘residency’ for BIG’s Serpentine Pavilion, Bjarke Ingels’ “unzipped wall” first unveiled in Hyde Park, London, in 2016.

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The structure designed for the Serpentine Gallery’s annual architectural commission was an exercise in geometry, in which a straight line becomes curved space made up of 1,800 identical fiberglass forms.

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Expanding on that concept, the site was reconceived as a dune scape, employing strategies and techniques used to build skateparks.

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Lofted sculptural mounds deployed around the perimeter of the site allowed sufficient soil depth and onto a striated canvas on which alternating painted and planted strips traverse the ground to make a bold graphic statement, referencing the region’s geological history.

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The BIG pavilion landscape hosted informal gatherings as well as public performances and educational programs.

Client: Westbank

Design Team:
Elysian Landscapes
BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group
GKW Architects

Completed: 2022
Area: 2.8 acres