We have received a jury mention at the Sestao venue of TAC! Festival 2026, one of the most notable ephemeral pavilion competitions on the Spanish architecture scene, with our proposal “Espacio con cubos de acero” (Space with Steel Cubes).
The decision, announced after evaluating 156 projects submitted by young architects from across Spain, corresponds to the Pavilion Design Competition organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda and the Arquia Foundation. Our work was selected as one of six awarded proposals in Sestao — a recognition we particularly value for what it represents: a validation of the approach we pursue in our practice, centered on reinterpreting industrial memory through contemporary architecture.
A Construction System Rooted in Circular Economy
The proposal began with a precise reading of the genius loci of Sestao, a city shaped over generations by its steelmaking tradition. Our aim was to translate that identity into a construction system genuinely coherent with the site, without resorting to materials unrelated to its history. We designed a pavilion located in Labe Garaia park, at the foot of the historic Blast Furnace No. 1, built entirely from materials borrowed from Gescrap, a scrapyard located less than a kilometer from the site.
The proposal is built from just two elements: cubic blocks of compressed steel scrap measuring 45 cm, and coils of rolled steel that function as a continuous bar-height table. The stability of the walls — stacked up to 135 cm wide and 630 cm tall — relies solely on the self-weight of the material, with no auxiliary structure required. Once the event concludes, every block returns to Gescrap for smelting and recycling at the neighboring ArcelorMittal plant, closing a complete and reversible material cycle.
Steel as Memory and as a Design Resource
The project’s aim was not to represent Sestao’s industrial past, but to reactivate it as an architectural resource. By placing visitors in direct, physical contact with the scrap cubes, the pavilion turns a waste material into a support for gathering, dwelling, and collective activity — capable of hosting uses as varied as a 180 m² conference hall or a 250 m² concert space, while incorporating the park’s existing light fixtures to create nighttime light installations.
With a budget of €28,284, spent almost entirely on the logistics and handling of the material — since the steel itself carries no cost — “Espacio con cubos de acero” demonstrates that low material impact, conceptual rigor, and economic feasibility can coexist. That balance between sustainability, sense of place, and constructive efficiency lies at the core of our work, and is also what the TAC! Festival jury chose to recognize.
About TAC! Festival 2026
TAC! Festival is an annual competition that promotes innovation and experimentation in architecture through the construction of temporary pavilions in different Spanish cities. The 2026 edition takes place across two venues, Sestao and Barcelona’s CCCB, and is supported by leading architecture media outlets including ArchDaily, Metalocus, Arquitectura Viva, and Tectónica.
This mention is part of a line of work we intend to keep developing: using the scale of the ephemeral pavilion as a tool to explore the future of Spain’s industrial heritage and its possible spatial and material reinterpretations.
More information on the winning projects of TAC! Festival 2026: tacfestival.com/ganadores-2026