Play Pavilion Commission by Sir Peter Cook in partnership with the LEGO Group
Special public art commission exploring the creative power of play
Coinciding with World Play Day on 11 June, Serpentine, in collaboration with the LEGO Group, presents the Play Pavilion. This new vibrant and interactive public art commission is situated alongside Serpentine South. The public art project, designed by British architect Sir Peter Cook, invites visitors of all ages to engage with the creative possibilities of play as a fundamental human impulse.
Incorporating LEGO® Bricks into the design, the Play Pavilion commission offers an immersive three-dimensional environment in which play becomes both a method of exploration and a space of imagination. Extending beyond the gallery walls into the park, the Play Pavilion reflects Serpentine and the LEGO Group’s shared commitment to building connections through play, creative expression, and experimentation.
Sir Peter Cook has been a pivotal figure within architecture for over half a century. As a founding member of the visionary group Archigram in the early 1960s, Cook helped establish new radical possibilities for architecture. Of the Play Pavilion, he notes:
“Play transcends survival, achievement, and common sense. It encourages, or at least permits us, to explore and idly delight in a territory between the wayward and speculative towards unashamed amusement. The Play Pavilion is a piece of theatre.”
The Play Pavilion continues a new series of programmes presented by Serpentine welcoming families, younger audiences, and teenagers, that is centred on the idea of engaging with activities for enjoyment and recreation. In 2022, Serpentine, The London Lions Basketball Club, and artist Alvaro Barrington partnered with CONSUL, Tower Hamlets Council and Weavers Adventure Playground in Bethnal Green to create a unique basketball court, enriching the local community and beyond. These new initiatives will bring together artists, designers, architects, and creatives to champion the spirit of play and community.
Throughout the summer, the Play Pavilion will act as a platform for live activations, offering new opportunities for collective and spontaneous acts of play.
Architect Biography
Sir Peter Cook first gained international recognition through the visionary group Archigram, whose conceptual projects — including Plug-In City (1963–66) — continue to challenge ideas at the intersection of architecture, technology, and society. Alongside these influential unrealised works, Cook’s built projects include Kunsthaus Graz in Austria (completed in 2003 with Colin Fournier) and the Drawing Studio (2016) and Innovation Studio (2021) for Arts University Bournemouth. His work has been the subject of numerous publications and exhibitions, and in 2002 he was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Royal Gold Medal, the institution’s highest honour.
A celebrated teacher and writer, Cook served as Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, and as Chair of the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. In recognition of his contributions to the field, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 and awarded an honorary doctorate by Lund University, Sweden, in 2010. He is a Royal Academician, a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres of the French Republic, and currently a Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art, London. Over the course of his career, he has taught at institutions including University College London, the Architectural Association, the Städelschule in Frankfurt, Harvard University, Columbia University, SCI-Arc, USC Architecture, and Rice University.
Cook’s drawings are held in major public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt; FRAC Centre, Orléans; M+ Museum of Art, Hong Kong; Japan Architect Collection, Tokyo; the National Museum of Art, Oslo; and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
The Play Pavilion is designed by the Peter Cook Studio of C.R.A.B Lab. He is also a Partner of CBH Architects.
Architect team: Sir Peter Cook, Pablo Wheldon, Cong Ding
