Architectural Aid Agency (AAA), led by Remi Groenendijk (The Hague) together with David Velu (Rotterdam) and Mañana Carpintería (Barcelona), participates in Polar & Tropic with a modular pavilion built from recycled and artisanal materials from the contruction of SWAB Barcelona and the bricks from the artsanal factories in Catalunya. The NONGKRONG-SAUNA lies at an intersection of traditions and materials. 

Within the framework of Polar & Tropic, this pavilion is activated as a place for meeting, exchange, and dialogue, creating an ecosystem for shared learning and the creation of new collaborations. This communal space evokes both Indonesian gatherings (NONGKRONG) and the ritual dimension of Nordic saunas using local Catalan materials, proposing architecture as a practice of care, slowness, and ecological resilience. constructed by Forn d’obra Duran and Bòbila Aguilera.

Architectural Aid Agency (The Netherlands) is a non-profit organisation focusing on the social and environmental impact of architecture through the design and construction of small-scale projects. Led by Remi Groenendijk (The Hague), in collaboration with David Velu (Rotterdam) and Mañana Carpintería (Barcelona), it participates in Polar & Tropic with a modular pavilion built from recycled and artisanal materials, incorporating elements reused from the construction of SWAB Barcelona and bricks produced by Catalan artisanal factories, Forn d’Obra Duran and Bòbila Aguilera. The project builds on a previous collaboration with Jatiwangi Art Factory (Indonesia), a non-profit organisation working critically with earth and defending the traditional Indonesian terracotta industry to sustain the transmission of ceramic knowledge.

Forn d’Obra Duran is a family-run brickworks with over 90 years of experience producinghandmade bricks,tiles, and traditional construction elements in Catalunya, using earth, water, clay, and fire to create ecological materials.

Bòbila Aguilera, with roots in the late 19th century, has handcrafted clay products for five generations at its kiln in La Pobla de Claramunt, firing pieces in a rare manually operated Hoffmann kiln to produce bricks and ceramics with distinctive quality and character.