The Serpentine Pavilion takes its shape from a curving brick wall.

This year’s Serpentine Pavilion, called “a serpentine”, is the work of LANZA atelier, the Mexico City practice founded in 2015 by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo. It stands at Serpentine South in Kensington Gardens, London, and is open daily from 10am to 6pm, free of charge, until 25 October.

The name comes from the serpentine wall, also known as the crinkle-crankle wall. Because its curve gives it stability, it can be built only one brick thick. LANZA atelier uses the idea twice: the south wall curves toward the Serpentine Lake, while the north wall bends around the canopy of a tree. The choice of brick echoes the façade of the neighbouring Serpentine South gallery.

“The roof rests lightly on brick columns which evoke a grove of trees.”

That translucent roof lets light and air through, so the shelter feels more like a clearing than a room. The pavilion is the twenty-fifth in a programme that began in 2000 with Zaha Hadid, and the anniversary is marked with a partnership with the Zaha Hadid Foundation.