The initiative has the support of the Architects' Associations of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Following the success of the Catalan presence in the 2009 and 2011 Art Biennales, the IRL has taken another step towards the internationalization of Catalan culture, through its venture to take the architecture of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands to one of the most important and prestigious shows in the world in this field.
The project promoted by the IRL, as in the Art Biennale, will be placed in the Collateral Events section, and will take up an estimated 250m2 of floor space. The 13th Venice Architecture Biennale will begin at the end of August 2012.
Vicenç Villatoro, the director of the IRL, explained at a press conference that this decision was the result of three conceptual factors: "First of all, architecture is culture, and our aim is the projection of Catalan culture throughout the world. Second, architecture has a special role in defining Catalan culture as a brand abroad. And finally, being present in Venice will help Catalan architecture, which at the moment finds itself with more talent than its internal market can absorb, and hence breaking into external markets is fundamental." Villatoro emphasized that "the Venice Biennale is one of the great showcases for architecture worldwide, and being there will help Catalan architecture overall. Moreover, our previous experience with the Art Biennale has left us with positive feelings that have encouraged us to take part in this venture. 
Meanwhile, Àlex Susanna, the associate director of the IRL, set out the details of the procedures involved in running the competition. Proposals to represent Catalonia and the Balearic islands can be presented up to 20th December, and the content of each one will be assessed. He pointed out that "we want the first project that represents us at the Architecture Biennale to reflect the potential of our architecture and become the vehicle for a thesis, an original, opportune and pertinent reflection on the current context of crisis, by means of a small number of projects from various studios that have emerged mainly in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in recent years." The exhibition will have to feature a maximum of eight authors, and can deal with both public and private architectural projects,
He went on to explain that of all the proposals received, on 11th January five finalists will be selected, who will be required to develop their project in more detail. From these will be chosen the winning proposal to represent Catalonia and the Balearic Islands at next year's Venice Architecture Biennale. 
In order to assess the competition entries, a panel of judges made up of a chairman and eight members is to be nominated:
Chairman: Jordi Garcés, architect. Winner of the 1991 FAD Prize for the Olympic Pavilion in the Vall d'Hebron, the 1996 City of Barcelona Prize for the Ciutadella Campus for the Pompeu Fabra University, and the person responsible for the successive alterations and extensions of the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.
Members: 
Lluís-Xavier Comerón, President of the Architects' Association of Catalonia
Joan Morey Pizá, President of the Architects' Association of the Balearic Islands
Fernando Marzá, architect, member of the Architects' Association of Catalonia Miquel Vadell Balaguer, architect and person in charge of the competition office for the Architects' Association of the Balearic Islands
Marta Vall-Llossera Ferran, architect
Marta Malé-Alemany, architect and acting director of the Institut d'Arquitectura Avançada de Catalunya
Daniel Giralt-Miracle, critic and art historian
Àlex Susanna, Associate Director of the Institut Ramon Llull
The panel's verdict will be made public on 1st February 2012. Following this, the winning proposal will be sent to the Venice Biennale for their final approval. Once this has been attained, the production of the exhibition, which has a maximum budget of €225,000, will begin.
The associate director of the IRL in the Balearic Islands, Antoni Vera, presented the initiative in the Palma office, and emphasized the value of architecture as an artistic discipline that is characteristic of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. 
The President of the Architects' Association of Catalonia, Lluís-Xavier Comerón, and the President of the Architects' Association of the Balearic Islands, Joan Morey, joined together in showing their gratitude for the collaboration and support of the IRL at an especially delicate time for the sector. "Architecture is involved in a venture to change its model and redefine itself. We should not define architecture as a strictly private activity. Architecture leaves a landscape that is common to all and forms part of what defines a nation", remarked Comerón. Meanwhile, Morey noted that, "the aim is to stand up for and promote contemporary architecture in a context of crisis, which for our architects implies taking their work beyond these islands."
The Architecture Biennale
The Venice Architecture Biennale has been held independently since 1980, in response to the growing importance of architecture within the Art Biennale since the middle of the 1970s. Currently, the Architecture and Art Biennales alternate and share structures and exhibition spaces.
More information about the Venice Architecture Biennale