SANAA. Intervention in the Pavilion

We decided to use acrylic to make transparent curtains.

We imagined an installation design that leaves the existing space of the Barcelona Pavilion undisturbed.

The acrylic curtain stands freely on the floor and is shaped in a calm spiral.

The curtain softly encompasses the space within the pavilion and creates a new atmosphere.

The view through the acrylic will be something different from the original with soft reflections slightly distorting the pavilion.

SANAA

SANAA was founded by Kazuyo Sejima (1956, –) and Ryue Nishizawa (1966, –). Sejima received a degree in architecture at the Japan Women’s University. Upon completion of her studies, she began working in the office of architect Toyo Ito. In 1987, she opened her own studio in Tokyo, and in 1992, she was named the Japan Institute of Architects’ Young Architect of the Year in Japan. Nishizawa hails from the Kanagawa prefecture (just south of Tokyo), where he graduated from Yokohama National University with a master’s degree in architecture in 1990. He established the office Ryue Nishizawa in 1997, and he holds a professorship at Yokohama National University. Together have designed structures that were admired for their refined simplicity, spatial fluidity, and thoughtful integration into their surroundings. In 2010 they were awarded the Pritzker Prize, becoming only the second partnership to be so honoured.