Smiljan Radic Designs Serpentine Gallery 2014

London's Serpentine Gallery has invited Chilean architect Smiljan Radic to design a temporary pavilion at the entrance to the gallery in Kensington Gardens. He is the fourteenth architect to accept the invitation, following one year after Sou Fujimoto's well-received pavilion. Radic's design appears to run counter to his predecessor's ethereal, transparent design made of small white sticks, instead opting for "a semi-translucent, cylindrical structure, designed to resemble a shell, which rests on large quarry stones," per a statement.

The selection of Radic is a bold step for the Serpentine Gallery, which has traditionally selected big-name architects well after they've received international acclaim: Herzog & de Meuron (2012, with Ai Weiwei), Peter Zumthor (2011), Jean Nouvel (2010), SANAA (2009), Frank Gehry (2008), Rem Koolhaas (2006), Toyo Ito (2002), Daniel Libeskind (2001), and Zaha Hadid (2000), to cite a few. Smiljan Radic, on the other hand, is hardly a household name, not surprising considering most of his projects have been realized in his home country.

In a statement, Radic said of the 350-square-meter pavilion that will open on June 26 and run until October 19: