Piscina Barcelona Addresses Water as a Driver of Design and Wellbeing in Hospitality

Piscina Barcelona held the 'Water & Space: Designing the Future of Wellbeing' conference on May 27 at the emblematic Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, as part of the official program of Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture. The gathering brought together close to 200 professionals and analyzed the role of water as an essential element of architectural design, hospitality and wellbeing, opening the debate on its ethical, creative and sustainable integration into the built environment. The experts agreed that water must be incorporated from the conceptual phase as a structural part of architecture rather than an element added at the end of a project. Jorge Arditti, co-director of Arditti+RDT Arquitectos (Mexico), defined it as the 'invisible base' that sustains life, health and the economy, while Txell Manresa, co-founder of Mipmarí, called for defining the resource's complete cycle from the design stage: savings, rainwater harvesting and reuse. The conference offered a global reading of the water crisis from Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Europe, and addressed the exemplary role hotels must assume in promoting responsible habits, with proposals such as visible water meters and loyalty systems rewarding savings. The final stretch focused on industrialized construction as a way to significantly reduce water consumption during building work. The show's next edition will take place from November 15 to 18, 2027 at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue, with the participation of leading international firms in the pool, wellness and outdoor sectors.