The Habic Cluster will exhibit examples of collaborations between local companies and prestigious and renowned international architects

2017 October 9

The Habic Cluster has programmed several activities during their participation in the I Basque Country International Architecture Biennial. The objectives of the association of Basque Hospitality, Wood & Design companies include "to transmit to the society that the Basque Country has a manufacturing industry linked to high quality architecture and design, where the know-how of our industrial fabric has crossed all types of borders and at present works side by side with architecture studios located in every continent".

In this line, Habic will help to publicise the Biennial in the international environments where they are working with companies. "During the Biennial, emblematic examples of collaborations between local companies and prestigious and renowned international architects will be exhibited", explains Xabier Pérez de Arenaza, project coordinator at Habic. Furthermore, the Cluster will host a photography and architecture exhibition, accompanied by a presentation from the author of this work, photographer Jorge Allende. The aim of this exhibition is to "raise awareness about this discipline which has become more popular in recent years". Finally, Habic, in collaboration with the San Sebastian School of Architecture, will install a pavilion created by the final-year students, which will serve as entrance to the Biennial, as well as another pavilion that will be installed outdoors and will offer other activities.

The Habic representatives think that their proposals will "surprise visitors because it is very likely that they have, or have had, a connection with our industry without being aware of it". To this effect, they explain that visitors "will discover that there is a very remarkable presence of the local fabric in architecture and will get a close look at issues related to emblematic projects". Furthermore, they explain that "the photography exhibition will show interesting perspectives on landmark works from our environment, and in this way, we will discover the photographer's view and how to display an architectural space in 2 dimensions".

Pérez de Arenaza believes that 'MUGAK' "plays a fundamental role in opening up the field of architecture to the general public. The means to learn about this discipline are few and, in general, specialised. This is why to hold a forum that can offer general activities together with more specialised ones within the same framework can be really useful in bringing this discipline closer to the general public. In this sense, he adds that "people have an unavoidable relationship with architecture, which is why helping them to have a better understanding of what the trends, the lines of discussion and the challenges for the future are is fundamental to advance as a society. The programme presented by the Biennial is wide and diverse, so that everyone will find a niche of activities to enjoy".