Each autumn Frieze Art Fair shows works by more than 1,000 artists represented by contemporary British and international galleries. The fair is hosted within a 20,000 m² temporary venue built from tent structures within the remarkable context of Regent’s Park, London. Frieze Art Fair promotes living artists and hosts a curated programme of talks, commissioned art installations and film projects, many of which are interactive and performance-based, thereby encouraging visitors to engage with art and artists directly during the four-day fair.

Over three consecutive years, Carmody Groarke developed a concept for Frieze that balanced the quality of the art space, the social experience and the existing context. The architectural idea was to construct a series of interlinked, translucent pavilions surrounding the perimeter of the large exhibition tents. The pavilions, located adjacent to the exhibition spaces, were constructed as timber-lined “rooms” arranged around the existing trees within the park and contained the public hospitality and VIP functions. The project proposed the master plan of the gallery layout as an urban strategy of avenues, streets and squares. The arrangement aimed to give legibility to public circulation within the large-scale tents and created a series of architectural installations which orientated the visitor and provided opportunities for rest and refreshment.