World Design Capital 2024 Exchange Pavilion

First erected in San Diego’s Balboa Park from August to November 2024, the Pavilion activated the Plaza de Panama, inviting visitors to enter from all sides and experience its cathedral-like atmosphere. By day, translucent orange cladding filtered sunlight into a warm glow; by night, rhythmic LED lighting transformed it into a civic beacon.

Inspired by the idea of eliminating the “no man’s land” between the border walls, the Pavilion bends two walls together into a striking “X” form, creating a welcoming space for gathering, connecting, and exchanging ideas. During its San Diego debut, it hosted more than 70 community events, lectures, pop-up exhibits, and installations, along with countless informal gatherings, fostering cultural dialogue on a wide scale.

Innovative in design and engineering, the Pavilion consists of eight prefabricated steel modules fabricated in Tijuana. Factory-welded and assembled on-site with bolted connections, it can be dismantled, moved, and reinstalled infinitely without loss of integrity. Spanning 85 feet without mid-span supports, it touches the ground only at its four corners, with each module supporting the others like a Roman vaulted ceiling.

Sustainable features include seating made from landfill-bound plastic blocks and energy-efficient lighting. Though conceived as temporary, its resilient design enabled permanent installation in Parque Esperanto, Tijuana’s third-largest urban park, where it continues to embody civic pride and the collaborative spirit of the San Diego–Tijuana region.