Àgora València | Miguel Arraiz

From Architectural Icon to "Plaza Mayor" of Valencian Creativity Where to Walk, See, Touch and Enjoy Design

Àgora València has been conceived as the strategic core of Valencia World Design Capital 2022 programme in order to reinforce the objective of the numerous projects, exhibitions, talks and meetings that take place day by day in all corners of the city. In this way, from June it will stand as a meeting point from which both locals and visitors can enjoy Valencian design and get to know professionals, formal bodies, institutions and companies rooted in the culture of creativity and innovation.

Inclusive, sustainable and flexible, Àgora València will have its own calendar of cross-cutting activities for all audiences whilst the city celebrates its status as the global epicentre of design and it later relocates to La Marina de València.

Crafts, Innovation, Industry, Light and Valencian Talent: Axes of the Architectural Project

Àgora Valencia’s purpose is reflected in the materials and the manufacturing of the space, in the artisanal processes of its building and in its delicate approach to sustainability.

With an area of 350 square metres, this modular pavilion will tell the story of the renowned design born on the shores of the Mediterranean, of materials born from ceramic innovation and traditions such as the vareta technique by the carpenter and artist Manolo García. The construction of the pavilion has the participation of companies such as Inalco, Wandegar and Iguzzini and studios and professionals such as Manolo García Carpintería Artística, Radiante Creative Studio, ATG Desarrollos, Josep Martí and Quatre Caps.

Àgora València consists of a structure of 24m by 10m and 9m in height. The building will be covered with a skin developed by the companies Inalco and Wandegar from ceramic pieces placed perpendicularly on the façade to sift the light over the hours. In fact, the light has been treated as an actual building material, and other elements such as the upper cover, of great aesthetic power, will also contribute to this. The great piece of vareta that will cover the pavilion will be made by Manolo García, master of carpentry and fallero artist who will return again to the square where he has planted his creations so many times. This element will simulate the waves of the Mediterranean Sea in reference to the city as a point of historical union between different cultures.

At sunset, an artistic and immersive lighting installation created by the creative studio Radiante will turn the pavilion into a great lighthouse as a symbol of the pride of the entire city of Valencia as the World Design Capital.

ÀGORA VALÈNCIA
Plaça de l'Ajuntament, 46002 Valencia, Spain

Credits:

Design and architecture: MIGUEL ARRAIZ + ARQUEHA

Advice: COSÍN ESTUDIO

Structure: JOSEP MARTÍ

Construction company: ATG DESARROLLOS

Cover: MANOLO GARCÍA ARTISTIC CARPENTRY

Architectural envelope: INALCO + WANDEGAR

Lighting: RADIANT CREATIVE STUDIO

3D and CGI visualisations: QUATRE CAPS