How much water is there in what we do not see?
On 27 May at 19:00, Roca Barcelona Gallery will host the debate “Water as Invisible Matter”, a meeting that invites us to rethink the relationship between architecture, water resources and production processes from an environmental, material and cultural perspective, within the framework of the “Architecture for Human, Urban and Planetary Well-being” programme of Barcelona World Capital of Architecture 2026.
This dialogue is based on a fundamental premise: much of the water that sustains our cities, materials and ways of life remains invisible. In this context, the concept of Architecture of Virtual Water emerges as a critical tool for understanding the real impact of design on ecosystems and on the production models that sustain contemporary architecture.
Developed by EMBT Architects for the Biennale Architettura di Venezia 2025 and now presented as a permanent installation at Roca Barcelona Gallery for 2026, the Architecture of Virtual Water pavilion stems from research developed jointly with W a t e r s p a c e, a collaborative initiative co-curated with NEWAVE and promoted by the Fundació Enric Miralles. Through an immersive and multisensory experience, the project reveals the invisible flows of water embedded in materials, infrastructures and global production chains that sustain both contemporary architecture and the way we inhabit the world.
In this context, the participation of Eva Franch i Gilabert, driving force behind initiatives such as Water Parliaments and editor of 100 Words for Water, broadens the reflection towards a cultural, political and speculative dimension of water. Her work proposes understanding water not only as a resource or infrastructure, but as an agent capable of reconfiguring contemporary imaginaries of architecture, territory and collective life, opening up new forms of critical thinking around the ecologies of the future.
The question is no longer only how to manage visible water in buildings and cities, but how to understand and transform the invisible water footprint embedded in materials, production processes and global systems that shape both contemporary architecture and our ways of life.
Through a dialogue between architecture, research and water governance, the session will explore how design can contribute to generating new forms of material awareness and environmental responsibility.
Speakers:
– Benedetta Tagliabue: Co-founder and Principal Architect at EMBT Architects; Founder and President of the Enric Miralles Foundation.
– Jampel Dell’Angelo: Associate Professor of Water Governance & Politics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) | Editor-in-Chief of World Development | NEWAVE PI and SENSE Director.
– Eva Franch i Gilabert: Architect, curator and researcher; co-founder of FAST; professor at UMPRUM in Prague and Columbia University in New York; author of the book 100 Words for Water (2025).
– Moderator: Arturo García: Manager, Roca Barcelona Gallery.
An exceptional encounter at Roca Barcelona Gallery where architecture and invisible water come together to reflect on the water footprint that defines the built environment.
This activity is part of the Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture programme, a distinction awarded by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA) to the city hosting the UIA World Congress of Architects, turning it into a global forum for architecture, urban planning and landscape design. From 12 February to 13 December, a multidisciplinary programme will unfold in collaboration with schools, universities, and professional and cultural institutions across Catalonia.