Endesa Pavilion / IAAC

Architects: Arch. Rodrigo Rubio and Arch. Miguel Guerrero, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)
Year: 2011
Photography: Adrià Goula
City: Barcelona
Country: Spain

Endesa Pavilion, a self-sufficient solar prototype designed by IAAC architects Rodrigo Rubio and Miguel Guerrero in Barcelona, was installed at Marina Dock for the International BCN Smart City Congress in 2011. Intended for a one-year operational period, the structure functions as a control room for monitoring and testing intelligent power management projects. The pavilion features a modular façade system that optimizes photovoltaic gain, insulation, ventilation, and lighting. Its parametric design adapts dynamically to environmental conditions, illustrating the principle of “form follows energy.”

Endesa Pavilion is a solar-powered prototype developed for the International BCN Smart City Congress and installed at Marina Dock. Designed for one year, it serves as a control room for evaluating and testing various intelligent power management projects.

The structure acts as a prototype for a multi-scale construction system, incorporating a modular façade composed of adaptive components, including solar bricks. These elements enhance photovoltaic efficiency while providing insulation, ventilation, lighting, and solar protection. The parametric design customizes the façade’s geometry to respond to specific environmental conditions, improving overall energy performance.

The pavilion integrates all necessary intelligence into a single architectural component. Shifting from the modernist principle of “form follows function” to a new paradigm of “form follows energy,” its façade actively responds to solar exposure. It opens toward the south to maximize energy capture while remaining closed and protective on the north-facing side. This dynamic façade makes the building’s interaction with its climatic surroundings visible, reinforcing its role as an experimental model for energy-efficient architecture.