How Materials Continue Their Journey: A Pavilion That Shows What Rethink Means
Eva Mai
Sometimes change begins with a simple question. In early summer 2025, MCH Group received an inquiry from the Bernese Oberland: whether materials from Art Basel’s exhibition construction could be reused for an experimental architectural project. What started as a brief phone call developed into a collaboration that today exemplifies what it means to think circularly – and how leftover materials can give rise not only to new structures, but to new perspectives.
Atelier Pulfer + Aeberhard, with support from Kunsthaus Interlaken, planned a temporary pavilion that makes the idea of circularity tangible in space. While the pavilion focused on the art it hosted, it is itself a statement: a space that demonstrates how materials can live on when we dare to rethink.
Since Art Basel and Expomobilia already reuse a large share of their structural exhibition materials within their own cycles, only a limited selection was available for the project. Through close exchange, it quickly became clear that the sturdy blockboards were particularly suitable in terms of quantity and condition. After joint evaluation, this material was deliberately chosen, collected shortly after the fair and transformed into the pavilion’s supporting structure.
In autumn, a freely accessible space emerged on the Höhematte in Interlaken, hosting the exhibition Glass is a Mixture – a presentation of contemporary glass works that also places transformation at its center. For MCH Group, the project illustrates how the “Rethink” dimension of the DARE framework is put into practice: re-evaluating materials, enabling partnerships and strengthening creative approaches to reuse. The pavilion thus remains not only a temporary structure, but a travelling example of how circular ideas can be made visible.
