Balboa Park Pavilion celebrates San Diego-Tijuana as the World Design Capital

Located on the Plaza de Panama in Balboa Park, the Exchange Pavilion is a curved yellow wall supported by a white metal structure that is hard to miss.

It is modeled after the border wall between San Diego and Tijuana, but there is a gap at the bottom through which people can enter.

“The pavilion is a wall that has been put together to create a community space where people can meet,” said Carlos Hernandez of Heleo Architecture and Design. “It opened our eyes to collaboration in our region and showed how strong we are together.”

The pavilion is part of the World capital of designa recognition and celebration of the power of design in a community. Previous capitals have included Mexico City and Seoul, South Korea. San Diego-Tijuana was the first joint bid in the program’s history.

San Diego City Councilman Raul Campillo was one of the early supporters of the 2024 World Design Capital designation, saying the inclusion of two cities this year was symbolic of life in the region.

“I think the idea that we are a binational region that functions as one organism rather than two separate cities in two separate countries is being realized here because the programs that are happening here are going to highlight American and Mexican artists,” Campillo said. “It’s going to highlight American and Mexican scientists, and I think a lot of people don’t realize that the educational institutions on both sides of the border are exchanging a lot of ideas. A lot of technology. A lot of jobs.”

The pavilion looks like the real border wall, but will be transformed into a place for lectures and learning. It will feature an electronic ticker that displays poetry, not stock prices.

The official opening of the pavilion will take place this weekend. A list of events associated with World Design Capital 2024 can be found on the website.