Ai Weiwei

Awesome looking design for the 2012 Serpentine summer Pavilion by Ai Weiwei and Herzog and Du Meuron. Bit of a swerve rules wise as this competition used to only be open to people who have not completed a building in the UK and surely the Tate Modern (Herzog and Du Meuron) counts? Anyway, stickling aside, this is a fine concept and looks amazing. It uses buried architectural history from previous Pavilions to create a sunken seating area. The saucer like roof collects rainwater to reflect the sky, and can be drained and used as a stage. The most interesting aspect is the lack of impact on the gallery and surrounding area, the excavated design allows everything around it breathe very easily.