This exclusive video produced by Dezeen for the Serpentine Gallery reveals this year's Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Paris-based Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh.

The structure takes the form of a timber shelter that houses a concentric table and chairs. Situated in London's Kensington Gardens, the pavilion will open to the public on 9 June 2023.

This exclusive video by Dezeen showcases this year's Serpentine Pavilion (@SerpentineUK), designed by Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh (@LinaGhotmeh).

The pavilion is named À table, and takes the form of a timber structure housing a circular table. It was designed to encourage… pic.twitter.com/1PYuY22SFv

— Dezeen (@dezeen) June 5, 2023

The pavilion was named À table, in reference to the French phrase that invites people to sit down together to eat, and Ghotmeh designed the structure to act as a space where visitors can meet and communicate with one another.

The architectural elements that make up the pavilion reference the environment that surrounds them. The structure's pleated roof takes after the veined surface of a leaf, while the supporting beams invoke tree trunks.

Ghotmeh also took references from cultural gathering spaces from across the world. The low roof draws on Malian togunas, low structures that are used for community meetings and to give shade from the heat.

À table was largely built from low-carbon materials, reflecting the architect's commitment to sustainability. The pavilion is modular in its design, meaning it can be disassembled and given a new life after the installation ends.

The pavilion will host the Serpentine Galleries' summer programme, called Park Nights, later in the year.

It will function as a platform for a series of interdisciplinary performances, featuring practitioners from across the fields of architecture, technology and film.

Ghotmeh's Serpentine commission follows artist and designer Theaster Gates, who unveiled his pavilion Black Chapel in June 2022. Previous Serpentine Pavilions have been built by architects such as Frida Escobedo, Diébédo Francis Kéré and Sou Fujimoto.

Ghotmeh is the founding architect of Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh Architecture. Her most notable projects include the Estonian National Museum, the Stone Garden tower in Beirut and Hermès Manufacture in Normandy.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for the Serpentine Galleries as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.