The workshops of the Fine Arts Degree at the ADEMA University School have taken part in the pieces that will accompany the Isla studio at two of the most important events on the international architecture calendar: the Venice Biennale – Mostra Internazionale di Architettura 2025 and the Versailles Biennale of Architecture and Landscape.
In Venice, the Loggia Baseliana, a structure designed by Isla for Architekturwoche Basel 2022, will be presented alongside 16 other selected projects. This urban loggia, built with reclaimed materials—wood, steel, clay—collected by Zirkular, was conceived as an open public space, promoting civic use, contemplation, and encounter. Its vernacular and iconic aesthetic, combined with a radical strategy of sustainability and circular economy, has earned it a prominent place in the Spanish pavilion Internalities, curated by Manuel Bouzas and Roi Salgueiro.
The coordinator of the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and the AECID Visual Arts Council, Alejandro Romero, visited ADEMA’s facilities today to learn about the collaborative work between the center and the island’s architects, along with the students who participated in the preparation of the exhibition materials.
According to ADEMA President Diego González, “thanks to our commitment to technology applied to art, it has been possible to participate in an international project representing Spain at the Venice Architecture Biennale, giving students the opportunity to work in a realistic, collaborative, and challenging environment.”
Versailles: ceremonial shelters in the face of climate change
As part of the Versailles Biennale of Architecture and Landscape, which will take place at the Palace of Versailles, Isla presents a new project developed in collaboration with the Neapolitan architect and ceramist Roberto Paparcone, based in Palma.
The project responds to the exhibition’s central theme, “4 degrees Celsius between you and me,” which addresses how the expected rise in temperatures in the Paris region will profoundly transform the urban and natural environment.
In this context, Isla proposes a network of ceremonial pavilions that reimagine climate adaptation through community and craftsmanship. Built with handcrafted ceramic tiles and reclaimed wood, these shelters create naturally cool spaces for collective gatherings. Integrated with existing fountains and urban elements, their clay components, modeled according to Mediterranean tradition, offer shade and passive cooling. Decorated with traditional protective symbols, these spaces transform climate adaptation into a cultural and communal act, where resilience is built from the collective.
For this exhibition at Versailles, a model of the project was produced in collaboration with ADEMA, created by students of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, who actively participated in the technical development of some key pieces. This new collaboration between the island and the university consolidates the synergy between art, architecture, and education, bringing students closer to professional contexts and real-world challenges of international scope.
island: architecture sensitive to the territory
Based in Mallorca, the island studio was founded by Juan Palencia de Sarriá and Marta Colón de Carvajal, and has established itself as a reference in contemporary Spanish contextual architecture. Their projects, such as Garrigue House, Ca’n Rei or Fénix Apartment, have been published in magazines such as Arquitectura Viva, Detail, Monocle or Hochparterre.
In addition to her professional practice, Isla maintains an intense teaching activity at international institutions such as Parsons (New York), INDA (Bangkok), and the AA Visiting School Mallorca. Her collaboration with ADEMA reinforces the value of interconnected artistic and architectural training, exploring new ways of living, creating, and teaching in tune with the challenges of the present.
A commitment to young talent and local collaboration
“It’s great news that ADEMA, as a University School, offers its students spaces and facilities that allow them to experiment without limits and shape their ideas with ambition, at the intersection of Design, Architecture, and Fine Arts. At the same time, we are pleased that it is open to this type of collaboration with local studios, which we hope will continue in the future, generating real connections between training and professional practice,” stated Isla.