Zaha Hadid work comes to stay with Serpentine Sackler Gallery
The Serpentine’s new Serpentine Sackler Gallery, designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Zaha Hadid, is set to open at the end of this month in Kensington Gardens.
It is Zaha Hadid Architects first permanent building in central London, and follows on from Hadid's temporary summer Serpentine Pavilion in 2000.
The new space is set across 900 sq m in the parkland, only a five-minute walk from the Serpentine Gallery, itself created 43 years ago. To create the new gallery, aimed at being a new cultural destination on the north side of the Serpentine Bridge, Hadid renovated a former gunpowder store, built in 1805, and has added a light and transparent extension to complement the neo-classical architecture of the original building.
To the side of the building sits an Hadid signature structure with an organically shaped, undulating canopy, sitting over a gallery, restaurant and social area. Kensington Garden's trees and wildlife surround the building.
The gallery has been named after Dr Mortimer and Dame Theresa Sackler, whose foundation donated a significant amount towards the development. Bloomberg also made a major contribution towards its funding.
