The Exchange Pavilion represents more than just an architectural achievement. It’s a symbol of the deep connection and collaboration between San Diego and Tijuana, two cities that are inextricably linked. Working alongside the renowned visual artist Daniel Ruanova Studio we sought to create a space that captures the essence of our shared landscape and the dynamic exchange of cultures that happens here every day.

As an initiative of the World Design Capital 2024 / San Diego - Tijuana, the Exchange Pavilion is a modular, portable structure meant to act as a canvas for various interactive displays, lighting, graphic visuals and as an assembly space for lectures, performances, workshops, and more. As a pavilion structure that is meant to showcase San Diego/Tijuana as the first cross border World Design Capital, it was installed first in San Diego in August of 2024, then shall de-installed and relocated to Tijuana in the fall for the remainder of 2024 and early 2025.

Transforming a “no-man’s-land” into a vibrant nexus, surrounded by socio-political constructs guiding lifelines through channeled streams of perpetual trade and cultural evolution, the “EXCHANGE” embodies a unique spatial metaphor. It achieves this by breaking down walls, facilitating unimpeded movement for all inhabitants of this uninhabitable space—an environment designed to host a diverse spectrum of collective experiences.

Purposefully constructed for seamless visibility from both inside and out, the “EXCHANGE” serves as a conduit for continuous data transmission during every encounter. Designed to mimic the double wall that exists at our border today, the pavilion conjoins the two walls into a unifying space, forming an X to represent the constant and fluid exchange of ideas and culture. Becoming both a crossroads and a destination, the pavilion invites the public to participate in a dialogue of what can be possible. 

Designed and engineered to be a portable structure, the pavilion comprised 8 separate structural frames of HSS steel tubes. Fabricated in Tijuana, crossing the border as oversize loads, and assembled in San Diego in two weeks, the pavilion was an exercise in the possibilities of prefabricated structural elements and how building and construction processes for much needed infrastructure and housing can be maximized.

Using corrugated polycarbonate panels in a transparent and bright orange color representing the World Design Capital, the cladding reinterprets the corrugated walls of the old border wall made of recycled military tarmacs. 

The edges of the pavilion are enveloped in a continuous ribbon of curving LED ticker tape displays reminiscent of the currency exchange kiosks that are so commonly seen around our border. Instead of displaying currency exchange rates, the ticker tape displays the exchange of ideas and poetry, curated from submissions from writers and poets from both sides of the border in English and Spanish. 

In essence, the Exchange Pavilion stands as a temporary and mobile milestone, illustrating the region’s commitment to human-centered design and the possibilities of cross border collaboration. It is a manifestation of interconnectedness, embracing the fluidity of cultural exchange and trade within an ever-evolving social landscape.

The Exchange Pavilion is made possible by our talented design and fabrication team:

Structural Engineering: MDEP Structures

Lighting Design: Elluminet

Lighting Fixture & Controls Rep: SDLA

Electrical Engineering: ELEN Consulting

Steel Fabrication & Installation: EMP Steel Solutions, Inc

Digital LED Displays: Fuse Technical Group

Modular Recycled Seating:ByBlock