Ateliers Jean Nouvel has made their mark around the world with cutting-edge projects as diverse as a design for the Louvre satellite in Abu Dhabi, a pair of glittering luxury apartment buildings in New York, a theater in Minneapolis, and countless cultural buildings in Europe. The project list on their website is, appropriately enough, a world map. The one thing that distinguishes the studio's work is not an overarching design theme, but an appetite for always trying new things.

The latest project is the summer pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park, London. On a stuffy site that seems like the last place on earth someone would put a cutting-edge piece of architecture, this annual pavilion has become a hotbed of architectural stars showing their stuff. Jean Nouvel's 2010 pavilion manages to one-up the entire lot by creating a bold red structure that includes red tenting, red beams, red mirrored glass, red curtains, and red furniture--one that is sure to influence the architecture community worldwide. Yet the whole thing is no ostentatious monument to crazy color. Instead, it is a carefully organized sequence of beautiful outdoor spaces perfect for relaxing in on a gorgeous London summer day. In true Character Approved fashion, Jean Nouvel has struck the perfect balance between bold and gracious.

[Image: David Levene for the Guardian]