Ibiza's Instant City

The ‘Ibiza Instant City' was a temporary commune built in 1971 in Ibiza for the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), and was built as a way to house over 300 visiting students with no other accommodation. 

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Architecture students Fernando Bendito and Carlos Ferrater were responsible for the idea and worked with architect José Miguel de Prada Poole with the aim to create a quickly constructable, flexible city where design council guests could stay, work, and talk.

Using lightweight materials such as metal frames, plastic sheets, and inflatable elements, the students and guests worked together to put together hundreds of small living units connected by shared spaces, pathways and staples. 

The inflatable structures appear utopian from within. The colours and shapes look like a forgotten futuristic dream.

The Instant City represented the openness and experimental attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Emphasizing pneumatic architecture (a type of architecture that uses air support systems), community living, and adaptability. 

(Above) design collective 'Ant Farm' guide to inflatable architecture (Below) Ibiza inflatable city

The instant city only existed for three days, which shows us how quickly cities can be built and dismantled; a strong example of radical and experimental architecture. 

Although it is a shame that we can no longer experience what it was like to walk through the giant hallways and rooms, the fact that it was so temporary makes it even more intriguing and fascinating to me.