Credits Swiss Pavilion Competition EXPO 2015

Swiss Pavilion Competition EXPO 2015

TARGET

This Expo can give the possibility to change the priorities that characterize our times, replacing the need to appear with a more awareness of our land. This is the principal reason why we decide to develop a project that should not impress the visitors by the strangeness or the authority of its external forms, but for the feelings that you reach when you discover and going to explore a place that you even thought that exist by an outside view.

CONCEPT

A Pavilion must reflects the times without abandoning the traditions of the nation that represent.

The dialogue with nature has always been a feature of Switzerland and its people, for that reason the project concept develops around three concepts that characterize this country:

1 – metaphore of the swiss lakes located in the magnificent alpine scenery

2 – metaphore of the swiss caverns of the Alps

3 – hot air balloons, an old Swiss tradition, where you can admire the beautiful mountain landscape

Recreating the atmosphere that distinguishes some unique aspects of this country, the project allows the foreign visitors to appreciate and understand more the food and the typical products that are exposed.

As the main theme of the Expo suggest, food is one of the principal things that represent a culture, because it influences our body and our mind.

For this reason in the Swiss pavilion it will be necessary spaces that are focused on science and technology research for food safety, agriculture and biodiversity and where every consumer can understand the production processes and the food products of the future, also for improve their lifestyles.

Food comes from earth, we have to care about our planet, and the best way to have care of it is to avoid to contaminate it.

LOCATION

The Expo must put visitors at the center, and for that reason we start planning the pavilion thinking about the visitor experience.

Walking through the Decumanus, the principal street, people will be attracted by something that doesn’t really look like a building; it’s a red hot air balloon with a swiss white cross on its envelope. Everybody will try to focus about its basement, thinking the Swiss pavilion must be around that element, but they will notice the hot air balloon is surrounded by a lake. They will be impressed by the relationship between this calm and familiar place and the rest of the exposition buildings.

DISCOVERY

Looking better they will see a big hole in the center of this rectangular lake, then making few steps, visitors will notice that in the direction of the lake there’s a ramp surrounded by different fragrances of 13 herbs, the same that Ricola use for their candies, that drives you to the entrance leaving behind the crowd of people who continue their trip.

The visitors will be more and more curious till they arrive to the reception and they will see an impressive underground world which looks like a big open space cave illuminated by natural light that comes from the big hole that they saw before.

People right now will feel at the same time protected and excited for discovering a new world.

WELCOME

Floor, walls, ceiling that are not regular, allows you to get close to the exhibitions stand facilitating the flow of people, up to arrive in the big stage present at the center, where everyone can tear the ticket for a hot air balloon ride or we can see a show sitting comfortably, surrounded by complementary  functions to meet their needs. Once finished the tour, the visitors, no longer having a direct eye contact with the world which they had just discovered, will feel as if they left a secret among the mountains.

ENERGY CONCEPT

The climate and energy concept is tailored to the particular requirements of the Swiss expo pavilion, held in 2015 in Milan. The special utilization, the part-time use and the local climate had a major influence on the sustainability and climate concept. Due to the local conditions during exhibition time, there was a need of developing both – a summer and winter concept.

 The sustainability concept follows three major steps:

1) minimize the energy demand using local climate conditions and architectural design.

2) utilize highly efficient technology.

3) use local renewable energy sources.

The pavilion will feature passive approaches to create a high human comfort in the semi-outdoor space. Using comfortable radiative heating and cooling technologies. A combined evaporative cooling and light-pipe serves as cold air and daylight source. Brand new technologies like piezo-elements generate electricity from pressure, which are imbedded into the balloon rope and paving. Hence, the wind generates green power and even the people visiting the Swiss pavilion.

Vast openings allowing for natural ventilation will be the used to bring fresh air into the exhibition space. In cooler and windy periods the balloon will be lowered to cover the central daylight opening and thereby reducing windy situations and draft.

The Balloon is constructed from ETFE, a light weight material, which is covered by sun-screening photovoltaic cells towards south.

The Pavilion will respect the cost extimation of CHF 12 million.