The industry-academia-government collaboration honors the work of Antoni Gaudí at landmark sites in Barcelona, with a satellite exhibition in Tokyo
ATLANTA, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- YKK AP America Inc. today announces that YKK AP Inc. will present a Windows on the Future Exhibition to celebrate the creative and innovative window designs of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. The exhibition marks the centenary year of Gaudí's passing, and will take place in Barcelona from April to Oct., with a satellite exhibition in Tokyo from May to July.
Guided by its purpose, 'We build a better society through architectural products', YKK AP Inc. strives to enrich people's lives by conducting window research and development as part of its business operations, and by researching and disseminating multifaceted perspectives on windows as a contribution to the greater architectural community.
Gaudí: Windows on the Future introduces YKK AP's accumulated research and insights into Gaudí's window designs through exhibitions, a documentary video, a book, and related events. Its goal is to inspire audiences to learn from the rich, multifaceted world of Gaudí's window designs to contemplate the windows of tomorrow.
The main exhibition will be held at the Gaudí-designed UNESCO World Heritage Site Palau Güell in the heart of Barcelona from today, Tues., April 21 to Sun., Oct. 25. Additional offerings themed on Gaudí's windows, including pop-up exhibitions, documentary video screenings, and a book, will also be presented at several other Gaudí landmarks across Spain.
The satellite exhibition will be held from Sat., May 16 to Sun., July 12, at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3 (Tokyo Midtown), located in the Roppongi area.
The exhibition seeks to showcase the appeal of Gaudí's creative and innovative windows from various angles through a presentation of actual window fixtures and stained-glass pieces formerly used in his buildings, interactive replicas of windows and handles that can be found in his surviving buildings, models and drawings, condensed studies by various researchers and specialists, and a documentary video.
It will also present, for the first time, a selection of materials produced through the collaborative efforts of YKK AP and the Tokyo Polytechnic University Takeshi Yamamura Lab, which have been conducting joint research on the evolution and genealogy of Gaudí's window designs and organized an international design workshop in which Japanese and Spanish undergraduate and graduate architecture students collaboratively explored the theme of Gaudí's windows.
YKK AP and Works of Antoni Gaudí (UNESCO World Heritage Site) Casa Batlló will also present "Gaudí Window Nights", a series of free admission visits sponsored by YKK AP, available daily from June 1 (Mon.) to June 30 (Tue.). Debuting in Barcelona, Gaudí: Windows on the Future is an official registered program of the Gaudí Year, UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture, and Catalonia-Japan Year, a celebration of cultural exchange between Catalonia and Japan.
The satellite exhibition in Tokyo will retain the same concept as the main exhibition but be uniquely formatted to leverage the space of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3, which is a site for communicating and proposing designs. It will be presented in conjunction with the third edition of the city-wide open house event Tokyo Architecture Festival 2026. Content related to this exhibition will be posted regularly on the official project website and Instagram account. The satellite exhibition is set to travel to Toyama after its showing in Tokyo.
The project will be disseminated internationally in English, Spanish, Catalan, and Japanese through Gaudí: Windows on the Future, a special publication co-published by YKK AP and Triangle Books, a Barcelona-based publisher known for its publications on Gaudí. This book will be sold at the gift shops of the various Gaudí landmarks, major Spanish bookstores, Triangle Books' online store, as well as exhibitions and associated events organized by YKK AP in Japan.
The show will complement a number of related commemorative programs, including the Gaudí Year, organized by the Government of Catalonia and Gaudí landmarks; the UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture, and UIA World Congress of Architects.
To learn more about the exhibit, go to https://www.ykkapglobal.com/en/satellite/window-future/Gaudí/.
To view the documentary, go to https://youtu.be/HnVHnmClkIQ.
Media Contact
Brianna Swales, YKK AP America Inc., 1 4079244497, [email protected], https://www.ykkap.com/
SOURCE YKK AP America Inc.
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