Rainwater Management at the Centre of
Spectacular Serpentine Pavilion
V
isitors to the stunning 2017
Serpentine Pavilion in London’s
Kensington Gardens will enjoy
its spectacular effects unaware
of the below ground water management
solution right at its heart, provided by the
sustainable drainage market-leader SDS.
A dramatic rainwater cascade from the
Pavilion’s arching tree-like roof canopy is
a central feature of this year’s design by
the award-winning Burkina Faso architect
Diébédo Francis Kéré, which opens to the
public on 23 June.
The British climate and London’s ever-
changing weather patterns influenced
Kéré’s creative interpretation of the
Serpentine Galleries’ annual commission
for a temporary pavilion, as a focal
point for one of the top ten most visited
architectural design exhibitions in the
world.
50 Landscape & Urban Design
Rain Collection
“At the centre of the Pavilion is a large
opening in the canopy, creating an
immediate connection with nature. In
times of rain, the roof becomes a funnel
channelling water into the heart of
the structure. This rain collection acts
symbolically, highlighting water as a
fundamental resource for human survival,”
explains Kéré.
During peak summer storms, rainwater
is designed to run off the Pavilion’s
expansive roof into an open central
courtyard, so an underground attenuation
solution using GEOlight® geocellular
storage from SDS was designed by the
engineering project team from AECOM.
The roof canopy is supported by a central
steel framework and covered with a
transparent twin-wall polycarbonate skin.
With the roof pitch varying between 5°
and 9°, the rainwater is conveyed quickly
through a funnel before dropping into the
centre of the courtyard.
Underground Storage
The water cascades down from the roof
onto a publicly-accessible, elliptical-
shaped 21m2 area of 130mm-deep
cream-coloured granular stone, before
being conveyed to the GEOlight® storage
tank beneath. The underground storage
is designed to hold back up to 6,000 litres
of water, sufficient to protect against a 1
in 100 year rainfall event. Water is then
gravity-fed slowly away via two surface
water pipes to an existing soakaway.
AECOM has provided technical advisory
services for the Serpentine Pavilion
project for the past five years. Principal
Engineer, Michael Orr explains: “This is the
first time in recent years that a positive
drainage design has been required for the