The project of the Pavilion of Catalonia at the Biennale di Venezia is based on a recurrent idea by RCR Arquitectes to represent their dream of nature. A world of dreams that comes from La Vila in Olot, RCR´s new experimental laboratory for architecture, presented as an exhibition designed exclusively for the Biennale.
Inside the Catalan Pavilion, the lighting design creates an oneiric sensation: the subtle abstraction generated by light, the transparent inner layer of plastic that surrounds the exhibition space and hundreds of Fresnel lenses that hang in all areas, aim to immerse the visitor in a sensorial experience in which the limits of the space are blurred. Inside the RCR “dream”, video projections and graphical representations on some of the lenses, reveal the most intimate universe inhabited by Rafael, Carme, and Ramon, recipients of the 2017 Pritzker Prize.
To generate a dreamlike lighting scenario, artec3 Studio proposed the use of a second layer of translucent plastic in addition to the first layer defined by the architects. The smart lighting of this neutral space in between layers would reflect then the light back into the room, contributing to the quality of light needed inside the “dream”.
In order to illuminate this perimeter aisle, hidden led strips of 2000/m lumens, with 30º optics, 4000ªK and controlled by Dali were placed on the upper part of the space. The chosen 4000K colour temperature was key to create an imaginative dreamlike sensation inside the pavilion.
As the light interacts with the plastic materials and lenses, it creates multiple effects and light densities throughout the different exhibition zones, immersing visitors in an ambience that strengthens the architectural concept.
