Inside/Out x Serpentine Pavilion | Lina Ghotmeh

More than a method of work, “Archaeology of the future” is a true approach to the built landscape established by Lina Ghotmeh throughout her practice. Founder of Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture, Paris based discipline, Lina Ghotmeh’s designs develop from thorough historical research emerging as exquisite interventions that enliven our memories and senses.

In this “Archaeology of the future”, every architecture is drawn from its place and from the traces of its past. A link is drawn between time, memory, space establishing an anchored place drawing a strong tie between the Humane and Nature. The past meets the future as histories are unearthed and memories excavated to enable questioning, innovation, and a more sustainable architecture. Bearing a “humanist” approach, Lina Ghotmeh’s practice emphasizes the power of craft and that of the hand in the making of Architecture. Through this, the built embraces the traditions of its localities, while uplifting the subjective experience and the collective memory of those it recalls.

Projects such as “Stone Garden” in Beirut, Lebanon, anchor the city’s eventful past into the present by calling forward its ruins, histories of conflicts and scarred landscape. It is the first low carbon, energy positive building delivered in France, the Workshops for Hermès live in complete symbiosis with their landscape all while bridging craft, beauty, and today’s high technicity.

« À Table » the 22nd Serpentine Pavilion is drawn in continuity to Lina Ghotmeh’s ethos. Rising as a wooden structure in keeping with the natural surroundings, it is built predominantly from bio-sourced and low-carbon materials. The Pavilion 2023 continues her focus on sustainability and designing spaces that are conceived in dialogue with the natural environment that surrounds them. The design of the space responds to the shape of the surrounding tree canopies and is inspired by the architect’s Mediterranean heritage as well as fervent discussions around the table over current affairs, politics, personal lives, and dreams. À table – is a call to sit down together at a table to engage and participate in a constructive dialogue while sharing a meal.

Image Credits: Serpentine Pavilion 2023 À table designed by Lina Ghotmeh. © Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture. Photo: Jake Mobbs, Courtesy: Serpentine.