Earth

SPECIAL EXPO

The primordial force of the Earth (and its colors) are behind imposing architectural forms full of materic vigor.

Starting with the Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates, by Foster + Partners: an evocative canyon 140 meters long that winds through ‘dunes’ 12 meters high. And then: the Pavilion of the Morocco by KILO architectures based on a Berber model; the KIP Pavilion designed by RIMOND© in collaboration with the architect Tony Marincola; the wooden pavilion of Chile in Monterey pine by Cristián Undurraga and Eugenio Garcìa; the Pavilion of France designed by X-TU, ALN Atelien Architecture and Studio Adeline Rispal; the Pavilion of Japan, designed by Atsushi Kitagawara, set into a wooden grid of 17,000 shaped interlocking slats; Vanke Pavilion by Daniel Libeskind; Intesa SanPaolo Pavilion, facing a reflecting pool and designed by aMDL – Michele De Lucchi with Alberto Bianchi, Simona Agabio, Marcello Biffi.

edited by Antonella Boisi and Laura Ragazzola

United Arab Emirates. Food for the mind (ph. Luca Rotondo)

Morocco. A voyage in flavors. A contemporary ‘kasbah’ in wood and red earth: the Morocco Pavilion by KILO architectures is based on a Berber model characteristic of the southern part of the country. (ph. Luca Rotondo)

Morocco. A voyage in flavors. The simple volume comes alive with the typical colors of Moroccan nature and culture. (ph. Luca Rotondo)

KIP International School - Respecting the earth and cultivating the future. Four buildings with simple, elegant, essential forms, based on the constructions of old rural villages facing a central square: this is the KIP Pavilion designed by RIMOND© in collaboration with the architect Tony Marincola. A sort of ‘village of the world’ and international gathering place for associations, institutions and individuals. (ph. Saverio Lombardi Vallauri)

Chile - A country of great variety. Like a voyage in Chile, from the ‘telluric’ to the astronomical dimension: the wooden pavilion in Monterey pine by Cristián Undurraga and Eugenio Garcìa is called El Amor de Chile, a tribute to the poetry of Raúl Zurita. (ph. Luca Rotondo)

Chile - A country of great variety. (ph. Luca Rotondo)

France. A different way of producing and nourishing. Designed by X-TU (Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazière), ALN Atelien Architecture (Nicola Martinoli and Luca Varesi) and Studio Adeline Rispal, the pavilion uses a spectacular wooden grotto to express the concept of the sustainable indoor market, accessed through a botanical labyrinth (ph. Saverio Lombardi Vallauri)

Japan - Harmonious diversity. Designed by Atsushi Kitagawara, set into a wooden grid of 17,000 shaped interlocking slats, without nails, to allow light to enter, the pavilion interprets the fusion between traditional culture and advanced technologies with an extremely light work of architecture conveys a precise idea of sustainability. (ph. Saverio Lombardi Vallauri, Luca Rotondo)

Japan - Harmonious diversity. (ph. Saverio Lombardi Vallauri, Luca Rotondo)

Japan - Harmonious diversity. (ph. Saverio Lombardi Vallauri, Luca Rotondo)

Vanke - A meeting place. A red fractal chassis, iridescent and self-cleaning, a skin with an expressive, sophisticated technological quality, for the pavilion-sculpture of this Chinese real estate giant. By Daniel Libeskind. (ph. Saverio Lombardi Vallauri)

Intesa SanPaolo. Facing a reflecting pool and designed by aMDL – Michele De Lucchi with Alberto Bianchi, Simona Agabio, Marcello Biffi – the corporate pavilion known as The Waterstone interprets the Expo theme in keeping with the concept of relation-sharing of form and time. (ph. Luca Rotondo)

Intesa SanPaolo. Facing a reflecting pool (ph. Luca Rotondo)

The bath with dark tones and a masculine look, from the 1970s, makes a comeback. With very geometric, terse design, starting with the fixtures, the shelves and the mirror cabinets. On the walls, the Absolut Black collection by Antolini.