Barcelona Pavilion

Stuart Jacome

Arch 211- M11

Prof. Khorsandi

Blog Post

Barcelona Pavilion

The Barcelona Pavilion commonly referred to as the German Pavilion is located in Barcelona, Spain. The pavilion was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1928-29 for the 1929 Barcelona international exhibition. The purpose of the pavilion was to accommodate the King Alphonso XII of Spain as well as other German authorities. The structure was also used for the opening of the German exhibition. This building is a great example of modernist twentieth- century architecture. The pavilion consists of an open-plan space, exact proportions, minimalist design, and symmetry. The original concept of this building is to represent a new Germany. Georg von Schnitzler who commissioned the building said it should give "voice to the spirit of a new era". The concept was executed through a “Free plan” and “Floating room”. Free plan insisted that there should not be any load-bearing walls dividing the interior spaces. This allowed the pavilion to be “bare”; it would only consist of the  structure with one sculpture and furniture (the Barcelona Chair). Mies treated the pavilion as a continuous space, and blurred the outside and inside. Even though the structure was supposed to be a free plan, it was more of a “Hybrid” style because some of the walls/planes acted a support. The pavilion sits on a heavy base made of a limestone called travertine. On the southern portion of the pavilion is sa U-shaped wall enclosure that forms a service annex a water basin. The floors extrude out over a pool which reinforces the concept of blurring the outside and inside. On the opposite side of the building is another u-shaped wall that forms a smaller water basin; where the statue of by Georg Kolbe is located. The statue reflects over the water giving a sense of transparency which is initially provided by the glass. The roof plates on the pavillion are small, and supported by cruciform chrome-clad steel columns which provides a sense of a hovering roof.

This building was supposed to be a “zone for tranquility” for the “weary visitor”. The pavilion lacked an exhibition space so therefore, pavilion itself would become an exhibit. Additionally, the building was supposed to block any passages into the Spanish village; the visitor would have to go through the pavilion. Visitors were not supposed to go in a straight line through the pavilion; instead the journey would take them through continuous tunabouts. The supporting walls created space and directed individuals movements through the building. The wall positioning created a space that became narrow or wide.

The materials in the building were also important. The pavilion consisted of high grade stones such as veneers of Tinos verde antico marble and golden onyx. The glass was tinted in several colors- grey, white, green, and translucent glass that would act as spatial dividers.

The pavillion was eventually de-constructed in 1930 after the exhibition closed. However, in 1980 Oriol Bohigas who was head of urban planning started the project to reconstruct the pavilion. Bohigas chose architects Ignasi de Sola-Morales, Cristian Cirici, and Fernando Ramos to research, design, and supervise the project. Work started in 1983 and was realized in the original site by 1986.

"Barcelona Pavilion." Villa Capra Rotonda | Architectuul. Accessed May 07, 2018. http://architectuul.com/architecture/barcelona-pavilion.