The classic 1805 gunpowder building is located in London's Kensington Gardens, near the Serpentine Gallery. An active exhibition program of this institution requires as much space as possible, therefore, with the consent and with the participation of the Royal Parks management and the English Heritage association, the Serpentine owners began to renovate this structure, entrusting the project to Hadid and Arup engineers.
The renovated building is named Serpentine Sackler Gallery; now its area is 1566 m2. The historical building consists of two paired rooms for gunpowder covered with cylindrical vaults, as well as a lower part, which is equipped with a portico, surrounding them along the perimeter. At the same time, the courtyards between the warehouse itself and the "fence" are now closed. In addition, all later internal partitions in the interior were removed, and the ceilings were equipped with windows with shutters, allowing both to gently illuminate the halls and to provide complete darkness there.
The interior solution is built on the contrast of old brick walls and new white surfaces, which underlines the role of the historical warehouse as a “found object”.
In addition to the exhibition space, the building received an extension with offices from the north. However, the main part of the reconstruction was the western part, an almost independent pavilion containing a public space and a cafe. This membrane floor rests on five pillars, which also serve as "light wells" that bring sunlight into the interior. It also rests on the ground, touching it at three points. An edge beam runs along the perimeter of the membrane, which is essentially a truss.
The outer surface of the membrane is made of fiberglass fabric and covered with Teflon, while the facades are almost entirely made of glass. Inside, tables, benches and chairs are arranged according to Voronoi's diagram.
Arup engineers installed a geothermal system in the building that simultaneously cools and heats the building - one of the first examples of this size in Britain. In addition, the water in the gallery is heated by solar collectors. Particularly difficult was the Victorian sewerage system, which was not designed for the load of the restaurant. Therefore, rainwater will not get there during heavy downpours; special areas near the building, the so-called "swamps", are provided for its drainage: through them it will enter the soil.
