To mark the opening of the Serpentine Pavilion 2026, architects Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo will join Serpentine’s Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist in conversation.
“Having curves in the walls makes the passing of time much more visible than straight walls because the movement of shade and sunlight suddenly accelerates or breaks and that is already a change of feeling while being there. The other part is that the wall is permeable: it has tiny gaps… you will be able to see a wall, and at the same time you will be able to see movement behind the wall through the gaps, like kids running or wind blowing the trees.” – Alessandro Arienzo
Celebrated for their collaborative practice and innovative use of familiar materials, Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo bring their distinctive vision to the Serpentine Pavilion 2026. Their design centres on the serpentine or crinkle-crankle wall made from brick creating a dialogue between British garden traditions, the historic South Gallery building and the surrounding landscape.
This conversation explores the inspirations behind LANZA atelier’s Pavilion a serpentine, Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo’s approach to architecture, and the history of the commission.
Since 2000, Serpentine has commissioned internationally renowned and emerging architects to create their first completed structure in England, offering a platform for new architectural experimentation.
Architects' Biography
Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo founded LANZA atelier in Mexico City in 2015. Their work has received international recognition, including the Young Architects Prize (2017) and the Architectural League of New York’s Emerging Voices Award (2023). LANZA atelier’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at SFMOMA, the São Paulo Architecture Biennale, the Lisbon Triennale, Yale University and Columbia University. Current projects include the 2026 Serpentine Pavilion, a solo furniture exhibition at AGO Projects in Mexico City, and the Pavilion of the Republic of Kosovo at the 61st Venice Art Biennale.
Isabel Abascal studied architecture at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Technische Universität Berlin and at Vastu Shilpa Foundation in Ahmedabad by B. V. Doshi. She was a design studio professor for six years at Escola da Cidade in São Paulo, Brazil. From 2015 to 2017, she was Executive Director of the LIGA platform in Mexico City and co-edited the book Exposed Architecture published by Park Books. Her proposal Mother Architecture: Shaping Birth is a Harvard GSD 2023 Wheelwright Prize Finalist and her project Investigaciones sobre creación y procreación has been awarded the National Fund for the Arts Prize 2023.
Alessandro Arienzo studied architecture at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He explores the different possibilities within architectural practice by developing hand-drawing and publishing projects such as the Housetypes book series. In 2017, he was a recipient of the National Fund for the Arts Young Creators Prize. With this grant, he developed an investigation on the Security and Citizen Participation Modules network. The resulting work became part of SFMOMA’s permanent collection in 2018. Several of his designs have been showcased institutionally, including A family of 4, which is part of the Denver Art Museum collection.
