Royal Gold Medal 2006  Serpentine Gallery Pavillion, London
Serpentine Gallery Pavillion  Toyo Ito Associates Architects
Copyright: Toyo Ito Associates Architects  The Serpentine
Gallery Pavilion appeared to be a complex random pattern that
proved, upon careful examination, to derive from an algorithm of
a cube that expanded as it rotated. The numerous triangles and
trapezoids formed by this system of intersecting lines were
either transparent or translucent, giving a sense of infinitely
repeated motion. The outside surface was smooth and flush while
on the inside the depth of the steel ribs was set by their
structural load, adding a 3-dimensional layer to the internal
space. The filtering effect of this 'hyper' skin created
interesting patterns of light on the floor. By day the pavilion
was a café, by night a venue for lectures, discussions, parties
and films. It was also carefully built to the structural
standards of a permanent building so that it could be taken down
and rebuilt somewhere else. The pavill