Etxenoi:
A slow construction for a present future

Every day, on the streets of our cities, we see construction dumpsters filled with demolition debris, outdated furniture, and building materials. Many of these renovations are driven more by aesthetic changes than by functional adaptations of our homes—changes dictated by large furniture companies that rotate their products each season as if they were haute couture garments, or with the aim of “cleaning up” the image of certain homes to make them look attractive on online rental platforms.
What happens inside our homes is reflected in the buildings and public spaces throughout our cities, where many undergo urban cosmetic surgery without improving more essential aspects such as accessibility, thermal comfort, or the structural and formal adaptability to future changes.
The theoretical approach of the pavilion is framed within a critical reinterpretation of the concept of utopia, as proposed by the organizers of the biennial, but approached from a different perspective. Since its inception, utopia has functioned as a conceptual device that allows present realities to be shifted toward alternative scenarios—whether dystopian, idealized, or entirely unattainable—acting as a mirror of our limitations or aspirations. However, far from adhering to an abstract or unreachable vision of the term, this proposal seeks to explore what happens when utopia ceases to be conceived as a distant aspiration and instead becomes a concrete, habitable, and nearby possibility.

In this sense, the pavilion deliberately distances itself from a pretentious or overly theoretical reading of the concept, in order to focus on the everyday, the domestic, and the tangible: the interior of our homes. Through this approach, the aim is not only to bring architecture closer to a broader audience, but also to place the debate about the future of dwelling on accessible and pressing ground. The utopian transformation of our homes no longer lies in grand architectural gestures, but in the ability to propose sustainable, adaptable, and sensitive solutions that respond to the real needs of their inhabitants. In this way, utopia is redefined not as an unattainable goal, but as a tool for direct intervention in what is possible.