en.Wedoany.com Reported - AECOM has provided a fully demountable masonry structural engineering solution for the 2026 Serpentine Pavilion. Designed by LANZA atelier, the project involved AECOM delivering multidisciplinary engineering and technical consultancy services, collaborating with the Serpentine and specialist contractor Stage One.

Unlike traditional brick walls fully bonded with mortar beds, this design incorporates a fine steel sub-frame within the wall to minimize waste during disassembly and reconstruction. Prestress is applied along the top edge of the wall via threaded rods. This composite structure enables the walls and columns to support the roof weight while controlling wall deflection and dynamic excitation. The core objective of the structural design is to ensure the pavilion's functionality extends beyond its initial use cycle.

Without conventional mortar beds to absorb construction tolerances, brick size variation posed a specific challenge for the project. AECOM employed a combination of soft joints, wedges, and shims to ensure the prestress was sufficiently uniform to stabilize the wall and prevent localized brick damage.

Jon Leach, Director at AECOM, stated that through a combination of engineering experience and experimentation, the company designed a masonry structure that is both faithful to the concept and fully demountable. Conducting full-scale tests to calibrate computational models was crucial for determining the benefits of prestress and composite action, as well as for understanding the impact of inconsistent masonry unit sizes and tolerances. The final result is a hybrid prestressed masonry solution that, like a traditional bonded wall, derives significant advantages from the wall's curved geometry and the use of piers, yet allows for complete disassembly. Jon Leach also noted that a highlight of the project was integrating young and graduate engineers into the team, allowing them to work alongside architects and contractors throughout the project lifecycle and gain valuable experience.

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