An existing building, a new use
Serpentine North occupies a former gunpowder magazine in London’s Hyde Park. The Grade II* listed building dates from 1805; its original architect is unknown. A renovation directed by Zaha Hadid converted it into an art gallery and added an adjoining restaurant. The gallery opened in 2013.
Keeping the projects distinct
The building was known as the Serpentine Sackler Gallery before its 2021 renaming. The Magazine now refers specifically to the restaurant extension. Distinguishing the historic building, the conversion and the addition is essential to describing the project accurately. They belong to different moments in its history.
What to study
Study the project as an encounter between an inherited structure and a new architectural intervention. Begin with what the conversion preserves, then examine where the extension meets it and how visitors pass between uses. This makes the relationship between old and new a concrete spatial question. It also prevents the gallery from being confused with the Serpentine’s separate pavilion programme.