Location: Brandoa, Portugal.

Architect: Vírgula i.

The Amadora BD International Comics Festival has used 698 cardboard tubes, 822 cardboard boxes, 865 sq. of cardboard panels and 63 meters of concertinaed cardboard to create facades, exhibition spaces, an auditorium, and slides and labyrinths for its latest exhibition. Designed by Vírgula i, the studio used cardboard to evoke popular fairs and the never-ending stories of Calvin & Hobbes. The material was highlighted in the project to perform diverse tasks, forms, and constructive systems. From straight walls to foldable structures, stackable walls, or even puzzled systems, cardboard was the answer not only for the year’s festival theme but also the architectonic answer for the tight budget. Almost 100% of the materials used are recycled every year, as being hibernated from one edition to the other. Lighting, walls, and structural systems are re-used, being this strategy a central part of the project, despite its efforts to appear every year with a new approach and design solution.

Photo credit: João Morgado.