The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) presents the Mobile World Capital Barcelona pavilion at the Mobile World Congress 2024. Themed as “Remember the Future,” the inauguration featured His Majesty, the King of Spain, and other guests including government officials and industry leaders.
Designed by IAAC’s team led by Vicente Guallart, Daniel Ibañez, and Bruno Ganem, the pavilion illustrates the evolution of industry in Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain from industry 1.0 to 5.0. It features a conference space, immersive zone, photocall area, and spaces for technological experiences and a VIP room.
IAAC designed a wooden structure thirty meters long and eight meters wide, with five sections of roofs that show a transformation from straight and simple shapes typical of the first industrial revolution to a curved and organic roof typical of an ecological future. The structure has been manufactured by Tallfusta, using Kerto laminated wood and has a total height of six meters.
The pavilion will be repurposed and relocated to a park in L’Hospitalet, a city adjacent to Barcelona that also hosts the Fira de Barcelona spaces. Its distinctive use of wood—standing out amidst the usual panels and modules found in fair stands—is aligned with the philosophy of the Mobile World Capital, encapsulated in the motto ‘Humanising Technology’.
The experiences include demonstrations and technology from the automotive industry (Hispano-Suiza), fashion (Desigual), energy (Wall box), and technology (BSC). The immersive space developed by LaviniaNext and OnionLab has an impressive three-dimensional representation of five moments of technological development related to textile factories, urban development, automotive, media and artificial intelligence.
The coordination of the installation has been carried out by Festival Off, which will also be responsible for installing parts of the pavilion’s content at various events over the coming months. IAAC has already designed the pavilion for MWC 2023, which featured a large cross with six arms constructed using Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT).
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Architect: The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)
- Design: Vicente Guallart, Daniel Ibañez, Bruno Ganem (IAAC)
- Project coordination: Laia Pifarré
- Construction Coordination: Festival Off
- Design, Structural Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering: Tallfusta
- Railings: Fresat
- Timber: Kerto laminated wood
- Media: LaviniaNext, Onion Lab
- Client: Mobile World Capital
- Year: 2024
- Photographs: Adrià Goula, Courtesy of IAAC
