In 2023, the TAC! Urban Architecture Festival opens its pavilion in Donostia-San Sebastián, drawing attention to the forest fires of recent years. In this edition, the festival aims to investigate the role of architecture in responding to the impacts of the climate crisis in urban environments, offering solutions to help mitigate their consequences.
"Lost Forest," the winning pavilion of the competition for the festival's second edition, designed by architects Julia Ruiz-Cabello Subiela and Santiago del Águila, was presented in Sagüés by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) in collaboration with the Arquia Foundation and the Mugak/ Basque Country International Architecture Biennial. The pavilion will remain in place until November 13.
The pavilion aims to bring the reality of forest fires into the urban environment, confronting the issue head-on. Inspired by the morphology of Mount Urgull—the city's green lung and sculptural landmark—the proposal stands facing it as an iconic structure built from charred tree trunks.
Iñaqui Carnicero, Secretary General for Urban Agenda, Housing, and Architecture at MITMA, points out that “The climate crisis we are facing and the recent pandemic have shown how architecture can address issues related to health and climate change, especially considering that buildings generate 40% of CO2 emissions.”
Nuria Matarredona, Director General for Urban Agenda and Architecture at MITMA, notes that the TAC! City Call for Entries is open until October 27. The call, as she points out, "offers all cities across Spain the opportunity to host the next edition of the TAC! festival, an initiative promoting architectural innovation and experimentation through the construction of a temporary pavilion designed to host cultural events and activities, thereby fostering young talent, reflection on urban and social issues, and dialogue with citizens."
Key themes addressed by the submitted proposals include the use of sustainable and reusable materials, reintegrating nature into urban environments, the dialogue between architecture and landscape, resource efficiency, and the reinterpretation of traditional architectural elements to mitigate climate impacts.
The pavilion also functions as a shelter designed to leave a lasting impression on visitors. By bringing a fragment of a lost forest into the city as a walkable monument, it aims to provoke reflection on our detachment from nature.
The temporary structure was built from stacked four-meter-long logs, forming a volume of about 1,000 steres (roughly equivalent to 500 tons). The wood is Corsican pine salvaged from the eight wildfires that devastated nearly 15,000 hectares in Navarre in June 2022. “We view our pavilion as a place of transit and contemplation—a sensory journey through the majesty of a nature that, although charred, continues to create spaces for reflection,” highlighted Julia Ruiz-Cabello Subiela and Santiago del Águila.
Activities Under the Umbrella of the Mugak/ 2023 Biennial
As part of the Mugak/ Basque Country International Architecture Biennial, organized by the Basque Government's Department of Territorial Planning, Housing, and Transport, the pavilion will host a program of free public events until November 13. María Arana, the biennial's curator, noted that while the Sagüés site is challenging in terms of size, its open, unprogrammed character offers a versatile canvas for diverse activities. She also stressed the importance of architecture reclaiming its social function to rebuild connections within society and with the current environmental and social context.
The main challenge of the program hosted within the Mugak/ Biennial will be to experiment with public space and its potential for integration, using open activities centered on sustainability and architecture.
The pavilion will host various events, including a talk by Greenpeace member Mónica Parrilla on megafires; a workshop by José María Torres Nadal titled “Greening is giving life to the culture of the earth” as part of Wood Week; the premiere of the documentary Elementuak by Impro Films, presented under the cultural program of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU; and a performance by artist Koldobika Jauregui.
The program also includes an exhibition at Espacio Añarbe showcasing outstanding entries from the design competitions for both the Valencia and Donostia-San Sebastián editions, all of which proposed highly original solutions to the climate crisis.
For more information, visit the TAC! website.
This article was written by Magdalena Casamitjana. The translation is powered by AI.
