Àgora València, design’s main square

As a beacon of design in the World Design Capital, Àgora València is now available to all passers-by who want to learn more about Valencian design. And not only for its proper architecture and design, by Miguel Arraiz, architect, creative and project manager of World Design Capital Valencia 2022 together with Arqueha Arquitectura y Urbanismo and Cosín Estudio; it’s also because of the large number of activities that will host its interior in the last half of the year and its large screen, conceived as a continuous showcase of projects and content related to Valencian design and the official program of València World Design Capital 2022.

Àgora València is a project of World Design Capital Valencia 2022 and the City Council of València that has the support of the Diputació de València, La Marina de València and the companies Inalco, Wandegar and Iguzzini, and takes over from the pavilions that were once erected in other capitals such as Helsinki or Taipei.

The purpose of Àgora València is reflected in the materials and in the manufacture of the space and in its construction, which fuses tradition and the avant-garde, craftsmanship and industry, using only wood and a material similar to ceramic known as MDi. The construction of the pavilion has involved 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.

With the inauguration of Àgora València, the city celebrates with its inhabitants and visitors its status as a global epicenter of design, and gains a space open to citizens as a legacy of the transformative power of design. A place open to the whole society conceived to bring design and creative talent from all over the Valencian Community to the general public.

At the opening ceremony, Mayor Joan Ribó said: “From today, our Town Hall Square has a new building to admire and enjoy. Àgora València tells a lot about who we are, with an architecture that speaks of Valencian industry through its ceramics, of the waves of the sea through its roof, which is, in turn, a tribute to our festivities: the Fallas. A place of shade and meeting, comfort and information, where its design invites everyone who passes by to make it their own. A space that, in addition, offers the first shade of the square. What’s more, its design and architecture, the materials that compose it, guarantee a much more pleasant thermal sensation than in the rest of the square.”

Àgora València has been conceived as the strategic nerve center of the World Design Capital Valencia 2022 program in order to reinforce the scope of the numerous projects, exhibitions, talks and meetings that take place every day in every corner of the city.

Agenda of activities

The program, which is growing month by month, presents a continuous activity for the little ones with children’s workshops for family audiences on weekends. There will also be debates on how design improves people’s lives, bringing together both specialists and the citizens themselves who wish to join in. Meetings to reflect on the transversality of design in areas as diverse as urban planning, ecology, international projection, the image of the city, sustainable growth and internationalization.

Àgora València is also a space studied following thermal comfort strategies. Its design takes into account climatic variables such as air circulation and solar radiation and has a direct influence on improving the feeling of comfort in relation to the rest of the square. The solar protection formed by the skin of vertical louvers manages to reduce the amount of solar radiation coming from the east and west, while the wooden roof acts in a similar way with the light coming from the south, allowing in any case the natural ventilation of the building. The sum of the solar protection and the ventilation system reduces the comfort temperature inside the pavilion by up to 10 degrees compared to any other point in the square, and all this without any energy input and therefore with zero CO2 emissions.

Every evening from June 29th, 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 for being the World Design Capital.

ÀGORA VALÈNCIA
Plaça de l’Ajuntament de València

ÀGORA VALÈNCIA IS A PROJECT BY: WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL VALENCIA 2022

With the support of:
Ajuntament de València 
Diputació de València
La Marina de València

Design and architecture: MIGUEL ARRAIZ + ARQUEHA
Consulting: COSÍN ESTUDIO
Structure: JOSEP MARTÍ
Construction: ATG DESARROLLOS
Cover: MANOLO GARCÍA CARPINTERÍA ARTÍSTICA
Enclosure: INALCO + WANDEGAR
Illumination: RADIANTE CREATIVE STUDIO
3D and CGI viewing: QUATRE CAPS
Photography: DAVID ZARZOSO