The Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum designed this year’s temporary pavilion for the Serpentine, London, marking twenty-five years since the London gallery’s first Serpentine Pavilion, which Zaha Hadid designed.

Titled ‘A Capsule in Time,’ this summer pavilion is a take on the transience of these constructions that have gone up at Kensington Gardens every summer since 2000. Tabassum also evokes the ephemeral nature of architecture in the Bengala Delta, whose inhabitants have to move their homes from one place to another as the river changes course. In addition, the design is closely tied to the traditional Shamiyana tents of South Asia: provisional structures that serve as shelters or meeting places, formed by a metal or wooden frame covered with cloth.

Shaped like a half-capsule, the elongated pavilion comprises four curved timber frames set apart from one another and closed with translucent panels that diffuse light, producing a changing play of lights and shadows. Between two of the capsule segments, a court with a tree at center aligns with the Serpentine Gallery’s bell tower. One of the capsule forms is able to move, making it possible to transform the space as needed.

The pavilion will be a key feature of the celebrations for the anniversary of this popular annual project, which began in 2000 with Zaha Hadid’s scheme and has since brought in leading architects from around the world. Tabassum, who set up her practice in 2005, is known for her social and ecological focus, especially in Bangladesh, where she has carried out projects that try to address the challenges of climate change and the needs of marginalized communities. With this pavilion, which will be open to the public from 6 June to 26 October, Marina Tabassum creates a space in which to reflect on the passage of time and the adaptability of architecture.