26th Amadora BD | Vírgula i

698 cardboard tubes, 822 cardboard boxes, 865 sq. of cardboard panels and 63 meters of concertinaed cardboard create facades, exhibition spaces,  an auditorium, or even slides and labyrinths for the latest Amadora BD International Comics Festival.

Designed by Vírgula i for a two weeks exhibition, the studio evokes popular fairs and the never ending stories of Calvin & Hobbes and its cardboard imaginary, to set the tone to the festival, dedicated this year to the world of children within comics. As in Calvin’s and its incredibly versatile card box, the material was highlighted in the project to perform diverse tasks, forms and constructive systems. From straight walls to foldable structures, stackable walls or even puzzled systems, cardboard was the answer nor only for the year’s festival theme but also the architectonic answer for the tight budget.

As in all previous 25 editions of the festival, almost 100% of the materials used are recycled every year, as being hibernated from one edition to the other. Lighting, walls and structural systems are re-used, being this strategy a central part of the project, despite of its efforts to appear every year with a new approach and design solution.

More info about previous editions and the recycling strategy (published by Portuguese College of Architects in 2015): http://www.jornalarquitectos.pt/en/metabolists-in-amadora/