IASS 2025
Call for Pavilions

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 Introduction 

After the success of the previous editions held in Amsterdam 2015, Barcelona 2019, Melbourne 2023, and Zurich 2024, the IASS organizing committee in collaboration with Working Group 21 · Advanced Manufacturing and Materials will host a new exhibition during the Annual International Symposium. The Expo and the conference will take place in Mexico City from October 26 to 31, 2025. 

1. Invitation 

Internationally recognized and celebrated Artists, Designers, Engineers, and Researchers in cooperation with top universities from all over the world are invited to participate in a contest and exhibition of innovative lightweight structures. Integration of international teams is especially encouraged by pairing a local with an international university for a joint proposal. The benefits of collaboration include the opportunity for equitable development, local supply of materials, technological transfer, knowledge exchange, and a long-lasting friendship experience. The teams may also include economic support from sponsors. 

The winning team will be awarded a prize of USD 1000 and a certificate signed by the jury. The jury may also offer as many special mentions as it considers appropriate. 

2. Competition Brief 

The competition focuses on the design of an innovative lightweight pavilion/structure. The teams must design and build their proposal. Engaging the Symposium’s main theme “The living past as a source of innovation” through Innovative ideas and prototype methodologies that push the boundaries of construction is strongly encouraged. 

The structure will stand inside the patios of the Palacio de Minería, Downton Mexico City, it should be able to be freestanding with no fixtures to the building structure or floor, therefore there will not be an opportunity for suspended structures. The external dimensions are recommended to fit within a cube of 3 m in every direction, the maximum dimensions will be limited according to the available space of the unroofed patios, and the maximum number of pavilions accepted will be 10. It is recommended to limit to 6 boxes (that can be transported as luggage by an airplane) if the pavilion needs to be transported by air. 

The structure should reflect an original design based on the submitting team’s architectural and structural engineering research. Each structure will be judged by examining: 

1. the production techniques, 
2. materiality, 
3. level of structural innovation, 
4. constructability, 
5. transportability, 
6. architectural expression, 
7. overall originality, and 
8. state of the art of the finished pavilion. 

The choices of materials, manufacturing methods, erection techniques, and so forth are at the entire discretion of each team. 

3. Competition timeline 

Entries to the competition must proceed with the following phases: 

Phase 1 · Initial Proposals 

• February 2025 · Provision of design rules and site conditions 
• February 28, 2025 · Submission of the abstract deadline – Select the option for pavilion competition

• March 13, 2025 · Questions and Answers session at 8:00 h (CST/UTC-6 h). To join, use the link at the top of this page

• March 14, 2025 · Submission of the abstract deadline extension – Select the option for pavilion competition

• April 1, 2025 · Acceptance of abstracts published 
• April 7, 2025 · Submission of initial team proposals, allowing safety check by local authorities (it is possible to submit a preliminary design first and the final design later) 
• April 11, 2025 · Acceptance of proposals and payment of contribution. The organizers will send an invoice to the team
• May 26, 2025 · Submission of full papers deadline
• June 27, 2025 · Paper acceptance

Phase 2 · Detailed design and construction 

• June – September 2025 · Finishing of the Design and realization by each team of their pavilions as a “transportable kit”. 
• September 26, 2025 · Submission of the final design 
• October 24 to 26, 2025 · Building of pavilions in Mexico City, will be undertaken by each team. 

Phase 3 · Exposition 

• October 27, 2025 · Ocial opening of the exposition 
• October 27 to 31, 2025 · There will be a special exposition paper session during IASS Symposium. 
• October 31, 2025 · An Award ceremony will be held during the closing ceremony of the Symposium. 
• October 31, 2025 · Removal of the pavilions by each team must be completed

4. Publications 

During the symposium in Mexico City, there will be a special session for the exposition.

Papers will be reviewed by the scientific committee of the symposium. After acceptance, papers will be published in the symposium proceedings. For the timeline and guideline of the paper submission please look at the website of the 2025 IASS symposium. 

5. Jury 

The jury will be formed by members of the Organizing Committee of the symposium, the Scientific Committee, the Board of IASS, local officials, and experts. 

6. Costs 

The cost for the exhibited structures and organization of the expo will be covered in full by the participating teams. The teams are allowed to invite participating companies to contribute to the exposition and the costs involved in their proposal by sponsoring in money or in-kind (materials and services). 

The designs may be produced and realized in cooperation with a supporting company or partner university. Companies will have the opportunity to highlight their contribution by showing logos and by providing information in printed media during the Expo in designated spots. The fee for the participating teams will be calculated using the following formula: 

Fee = USD 500 minus 0.025 x the distance to Mexico City in kilometers for the most distant component of the team. The distance between the cities can be calculated on this website. For instance, the participation fee for a team with a university from Paris will be 270 USD; for a team with a university from Melbourne, it will be 161 USD. This fee is for entry to the competition only and does not include registration at IASS 2025. 

At least one member of each university of every participating team must represent the team at the symposium in Mexico City in 2025 by registering as a presenting author and paying the corresponding registration fee. 

7. Practical matters and conditions 

1. The contest is open to all participants: artists, architects, engineers, universities, students, professors, companies, groups, individuals, etc. All pavilions have to be prefabricated in the workshop of the participants and transported to the Symposium venue by the participating teams. 
2. The venue of the exhibition will be at the Palacio de Minería (Calle de Tacuba 5, Colonia Centro, Alcaldía Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Ciudad de México, CdMx), it will be the same venue for the Symposium and the Workshops. 
3. Irrelevant or impossible proposals may be refused. The jury will invite and approve only the proposals with the highest quality to be erected in Mexico City 
4. The IASS Organization reserves the right to cancel the exposition or withdraw the prize for the winner as promised in case of financial shortage due to a lack of sponsorship or participants. 
5. The exhibition space is set within three secondary patios of Palacio de Minería. 
6. The participating teams are responsible for the transportation, packing, and transportation costs of the pavilion. They should deliver the materials and services necessary to realize the pavilions on site within the dates provided. 
7. The participating teams must ensure the safety of their pavilion. Each team will be required to sign a document about the safety, ownership, and responsibility of the pavilion before its erection. The organizers have the right to refuse the exposition of the submitted pavilion in case of danger and if the realized pavilion on the Symposium is essentially different from the proposed pavilion in April 2025. 
8. The proposal submitted in April 2025 will be checked by the facility department of the venue, the organization of the contest, and local authorities on safety. Teams will be required to respond to any comments from local authorities. 
9. All the pavilions will be published in a digital catalog of the contest and exhibition. 
10. The teams are free to find sponsors for the realization of their pavilion. The names of the supporting sponsors can be displayed at the exhibition of the pavilion, the online community, and the catalog.
11. The pavilions remain the property of the teams during the exhibition. The venue may be open to the public 24/7. The organizers of the exhibition are not responsible for any damage done to a pavilion by visitors. Further, the organization of the exhibition is not responsible for any damage to the expo venue or injuries to the visitors related to the exhibition of the pavilions. 
12. After the Symposium the pavilions have to be removed from the expo and disposed of according to local regulations. Any costs associated with removal or disposal are the responsibility of the team. 
13. In the case of a dispute between the jury, the organization of the contest and a team, an arbitrator has to be found that is acceptable to all parties. This arbitrator will be a member of the scientific committee of the 2025 symposium in Mexico City. 

8. Correspondence 

This contest is organized by the symposium organizers of the IASS 2025 from UNAM, in close cooperation with Working Group 21. Other information will be supplied in the webpage iass2025.unam.mx. For other inquiries please contact the organization at info.iass2025@unam.mx