The city of Valencia, Spain, chosen as the World Design Capital of 2022, has gained its “Agora”, which has positioned as the main square of design. Agora Valencia, located in Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Valencia and will serve as the brain of the design week, opened its doors. Designed by Arqueha Arquitectura y Urbanismo, the pavilion highlights ceramic production in particular, with an inclusive spatial arrangement associated with Valencia’s industrial importance.
As a supporter of the democratization of design, the venue will involve urban users throughout the year and host events open to the participation of designers, professionals, organizations and students.
In collaboration with La Marina de València and with the support of companies Inalco, Wandegar, iGuzzini, Agora Valencia was launched as a project of World Design Capital Valencia 2022 and Valencia City Council and took over the flag from former design capitals such as Helsinki and Taipei.
The Agora was created as the strategic hub of the World Design Capital Valencia 2022 program. Opened to celebrate its status as the global epicenter of design with residents and visitors, Valencia gains a new venue as a legacy of the transformative power of design. The architecture of the venue, which will host more than 200 planned events, especially exhibitions, conferences and meetings, combines tradition and avant-garde, craft and industry, while using wood and ceramics as main materials.
Agora Valencia’s architecture showcases its commitment to sustainability with its modular and detachable construction technique while offering opportunities to explore the local materials and craft tradition of the Valencia region. In the pavilion, which has an area of 350 square meters, there is an architectural line in which the wooden “vareta” tradition of the Mediterranean and ceramics are interpreted together.
