Architecture without matter: an ephemeral pavilion during the 2022 International Tourism Fair in Madrid

Two decades ago, at the "International Congress on Construction in Architecture and its Teaching" held in Barcelona, Helio Piñón spoke of attention to materiality and construction as a fundamental condition of conceiving architecture. Today, in 2022, Equipo 01 Architecture & Design—composed of Jesús San Vicente and Franca Colmenarez—reverses this statement by presenting the National Paradores Pavilion at the FITUR 2022 International Tourism Fair.

“I am not an expert in construction technique or of any other kind, so I hope you will pardon my intrusion into this forum. I speak only from the perspective offered by thirty years of teaching architectural design, always driven by the conviction that it was an activity related to the material, not settled in the evanescent limbo of ideas. (…) There is no conception without technique, nor design without matter.” - Address by Helio Piñón at the “International Congress on Construction in Architecture and Its Teaching,” Barcelona, April 17 to 19, 2002.

Awarded the Best Design and Sustainability awards at the FITUR 2022 trade fair in Madrid, this temporary pavilion is inspired by the rich architectural and cultural heritage of the Paradores Nationales hotel chain.

Architecture Without Matter

In the designers' own words:

The space is configured as a large cloister and a gallery of arches, creating a walk-through museum among frames displaying images of the hotels. Our goal was to create an evanescent, airy architecture—a phantom of lightweight metal mesh that gains structural strength through its folds. Light is the primary material shaping this abstract and ethereal structure. All materials used can be fully repurposed, reflecting a commitment to sustainability and a zero-carbon footprint.

Client: Paradores Nacionales, Spain.
Project Architects: Equipo 01 Architecture & Design. Jesús San Vicente and Franca Colmenarez.
Contractor: El Corte Inglés Viajes.
Metalwork: Hermanos Galán S.L.
Electricity and Lighting: Tecmodiluz S.L.