Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
Barcelona Pavilion, which was designed by Mies van der Rohe, is getting new white walls by architects Eugeni and Anna Bach. The marble walls of the iconic pavilion are being completely covered with white vinyl panels. The goal of the Spanish designers is to change the distinct steel, marble and glass features of the pavilion within seven days to make it look like a model rather than a building.

“This simple act turns the pavilion into a 1:1 scale mock-up, a representation of itself that opens the door to multiple interpretations about aspects like the value of the original, the role of the white surface as an image of modernity, and the importance of materiality in the perception of space,” the architects commented. Photography: Adrià Goula
Dubbing their work at the Barcelona Pavilion ?Mies Missing Materiality?, the pair presents this project as the newest of several temporary installations held at the pavilion, which Mies van der Rohe for Barcelona Exposition (1929).
Photography: Adrià Goula
In 2009, Ai Weiwei, the Chinese activist and sculptor, has filled the pavilion?s ponds with milk and coffee. In 2013, Andres Jaque, an architect from Spain, filled the pavilion with items from the basement.
This year?s alterations by Eugeni and Anna Bach are considered the most drastic so far. The project aims to contemplate the historic identity of the structure, apart from the lavish materials which were used ...