The crown jewel of Mies Modernism and Minimalism, the Barcelona Pavilion was completed back in 1929 for the International Exhibition that was being held in Spain. It was supposed to be a temporary exhibition space but was rebuilt in 1983 by a group of Catalan architects.
“An ideal zone of tranquility” as conceived by Mies, it manages to blend in and stand out of the surrounding landscape, creating a full isolation from the city noise.
Terms such as Free Plan, Floating Roof, Proportions and Aesthetics come to full meaning in this space.
Rich, natural materials that were used are travertine, onyx, green marble, steel, glass and water.
One of the recurring themes translated in the use of these materials is reflection:
Book-matched marble—the use of two mirror-image marble slabs, set side by side on the same surface like the pages of an open book.
Water reflection which strikes most where Georg Kolbe’s famous Alba resides and Glass reflection of the light and greenery around the pavilion.