OLI architecture sets richard serra's london cross sculpture in charred wood pavilion in NY

located on a private estate in bedford, NY, OLI architecture’s ‘london cross’ pavilion is named after the richard serra sculpture it houses. on the exterior, the site-specific structure is wrapped in a charred accoya timber rainscreen, designed to naturally patina over time. inside, the two fifteen-ton weathering-steel plates of the monumental sculpture run diagonally between the corners of the space, one in touch with the floor, and the other perched atop.images by FRAME studios, all courtesy of OLI

OLI architecture was tasked to create a permanent home for richard serra’s ‘london cross’ (2014) sculpture, which is composed of two fifteen-ton weathering-steel plates. balanced on its edge, the lower steel plate runs diagonally between two corners of the room, while its counterpart, perched atop with a point load at midpoint, runs at right angles to it. the monumental artwork is held in place by a specially constructed hydrated-lime wall partition which eliminates construction joints. the lower plate’s position divides the pavilion into two galleries, bringing an immediate awareness to the presence of the unseen side.

the pavilion, designed to not just be a container but to become spatially, figuratively and contractually tied to the art inside, provides the visitor a quiet sanctuary where time and space merge. its exterior façade is wrapped in a charred accoya timber rainscreen, which will transform with time while protecting the weathering-steel plates within. on the roof, north-facing skylights distribute soft indirect lighting into the gallery, which changes throughout the day.

an integral component of the visitor’s experience, the pavilion echoes serra’s consideration of space as a ‘primary material’. from the careful siting of the structure twenty degrees east of true-north, minimizing any untoward shadows through the carefully sculpted sawtooth skylight, to the charred wood rainscreen veiling in anticipating the spatial/temporal tension within; the pavilion is complex with deceivingly simple results.