Pavilion-Labyrinth transforms spatial perception with glass at the Barcelona Pavilion

Pavilion-Labyrinth, designed by Ciro Najle and Josep Ferrando, opened on 12 November 2026 at the Barcelona Pavilion in Barcelona, Spain. Built on the building’s travertine platform, the glass installation is on view through 22 November. Its labyrinthine layout uses reflections and overlapping images to question how the boundary between the pavilion’s interior and exterior is perceived.

How does the glass installation engage with space?

Pavilion-Labyrinth draws visitors into a glass arrangement that traces the pavilion’s floor plan. Reflections and overlapping transparent surfaces alter the field of view, making the boundaries of the space visible in different ways. As a result, visitors’ movement becomes part of the installation’s spatial experience.

At the heart of the work is a reassessment of the idea of transparency associated with the Barcelona Pavilion. Here, glass is used not merely as a surface through which the surroundings can be seen, but as an element that both defines and complicates boundaries. The installation’s curatorial approach highlights that transparency is not always a neutral condition.

The Barcelona Pavilion’s historical context

Designed by Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, the pavilion was built for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. It was originally conceived as a temporary structure. Reopened to visitors after its reconstruction, the pavilion is now an architectural icon and occasionally hosts artistic interventions and short-term exhibitions.

The pavilion is managed by Fundació Mies van der Rohe, established by the Barcelona City Council in 1983 to reconstruct the building. Pavilion-Labyrinth is also on view from 12 to 22 November as an artistic intervention within the building’s existing spatial arrangement.

The designers’ fields of work

Barcelona-born Josep Ferrando founded his own architecture practice in 2003. His work has developed an approach that foregrounds geometry, the use of a single material and efficiency; he has also worked on academic and cultural projects. Ferrando has been involved in international academic work since 1998 and led the development of a new curriculum at La Salle School of Architecture in Barcelona, based on hands-on learning and personalized education.

Argentinian architect Ciro Najle runs General Design Bureau, which works in architecture, design and research in Buenos Aires. Najle’s practice also explores intersections between architecture, digital culture, ecological thinking and complexity theory. The source does not explain a direct connection between these areas of work and the design decisions behind Pavilion-Labyrinth.

Implications for architecture and visualization workflows

For architects, interior designers and visualization teams, the installation offers an example of considering glass beyond its appearance as a material. When reflections, the field of view and visitor movement are considered together, it becomes clearer how transparency can change the experience of a space. This approach can serve as a reference for thinking about spatial composition, particularly in exhibition and pavilion design.

The source does not specify the software, hardware, licenses or any specialized digital methods used to produce the project. As a result, the work does not prescribe a particular tool or technical workflow. Teams working on similar designs may find it useful to consider the reflections created by glass surfaces and the spatial boundaries seen from different viewpoints during the design process; however, this project does not provide a basis for conclusions about compatibility or hardware requirements.