Valencia will be the World Design Capital 2022. For this occasion, the Spanish studio MUT Design has been commissioned to design five modular pavilions, featuring an outer skin of reclaimed wood. The project will host the stories of 50 among the most interesting and innovative creative organisations in Valencia. These will be divided into five categories (one for each pavilion): design and art, circular economy, industry and craftsmanship, technology and the transformative economy.

The pavilions designed by MUT Design therefore aim to celebrate the city’s diverse and deep-rooted design culture. This is done by interpreting and innovating local craft and construction traditions, such as the typical local houses known as “barracas”.

Each of the five parts consists of two half-cylinders, which can be freely composed to fit any space. More than 200,000 strips of reclaimed wood, 14, 16 and 18 centimetres long, were used for the exterior cladding, all cut by hand and superimposed on the structure like scales.