Expo 2020 is a host to some of the most exciting country pavilions marked by unique and stellar architecture representing each nation’s legacy and vision of the future.
Architect: Es Devlin Studio
Location: Opportunity District.
Inspiration: One of Stephen Hawking’s final projects, ‘Breakthrough Message’.
Form: The pavilion’s central Cone evokes a musical instrument, constructed from cross laminated timber (CLT) and steel, sitting on a wedge of concrete, with vitrines leading to the entrance to the Choral Space in a radial curve forming a maze-like journey for visitors.
Material: CLT is a fairly new building material where strips of wood are glued together in layers with alternating grain direction to form large panels. These panels were combined with Glulam beams to form long and hollow ‘cassettes’ able to conceal cabling and integrated screens internally and externally, as well as hiding the speakers for the musical installation within the Choral Space. The whole Cone of the pavilion was defined using over 200 timber cassettes that could be prefabricated, transported to site, and then installed as efficiently as possible.
A VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN PRINT IN SELECTIONS #57