Since 2000, the Serpentine Pavilion has adorned London’s Kensington Gardens every summer, showcasing unique pavilion designs by globally acclaimed architects who have yet to create a structure in the UK. Marking its 25th anniversary this year, the internationally renowned architectural event features ‘A Capsule in Time’ by Marina Tabassum, a celebrated architect from Bangladesh, as the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion.
The pavilion will be installed in the bell tower courtyard of Serpentine South, where an arched wooden capsule will align with the bell tower. Comprising four modules—two hemispherical ends and two arches in between—the structure is laid out in a linear formation, with gaps allowing for the movement of light and visitors. Inspired by Shamiyana, a traditional South Asian tent commonly set up in gardens, the translucent panels between the wooden arches diffuse light, evoking sunlight filtered through leaves.
A Capsule in Time also tells the story of life in the Bengal Delta. Influenced by water flowing from the Himalayas, residents of this region lead a nomadic existence, continually relocating with the river’s shifting flow. Architecture here becomes transient, shedding its physical form and persisting only as memory. This theme, deeply rooted in the local context, is frequently explored in Tabassum’s work.
Tabassum explains: “When conceiving our design, we reflected on the transient nature of the commission, which appears to us as a capsule of memory and time. The relationship between time and architecture is intriguing: between permanence and impermanence, of birth, age and ruin; architecture aspires to outlive time.”
This 25th anniversary also honors the legacy of Zaha Hadid, who designed the inaugural Serpentine Pavilion. As Hadid once said, “There should be no end to experimentation.” In the same spirit, Tabassum’s pavilion challenges to push the boundaries of architectural experimentation. A Capsule in Time will be unveiled at Serpentine South on June 6, 2025.
The selection of this year’s pavilion was led by CEO Bettina Korek, Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist, Head of Construction and Special Projects Julie Burnell, Exhibition Curator Chris Bayley, Independent Curator for Architecture and Site-Specific Projects Natalia Grabowska, Assistant Exhibition Curator Alexa Chow, and advisors Sou Fujimoto and David Glover.
Bettina Korek and Hans Ulrich Obrist added: “‘A Capsule in Time’ will honor connections with the Earth and celebrate the spirit of community. Built around a mature tree at the center of the structure, Tabassum’s design will bring the park inside the Pavilion. This is a milestone year for the Serpentine Pavilion Commission as we celebrate 25 years since the inception of this prestigious program.”
Following last year’s pavilion by Korean architect Minsuk Cho, Marina Tabassum joins the ranks of Asian architects featured in the Serpentine Pavilion. Through her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects, she focuses on climate-responsive design and socially engaged projects, blending contemporary design with regional history and culture. An example of this is the modular, mobile housing solution designed to support communities vulnerable to climate change along the rivers of Bangladesh. She gained further recognition with the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, built in Dhaka, which won the Aga Khan Award. Later, she was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024 and was selected as Architect of the Year at the Dezeen Awards 2024.
