EXPO 2015 – The Italian Pavilion

by Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit



Located at the end of the “Cardo” alley, alongside with the venues of various Italian regions and institutions, Padiglione Italia is the official pavilion of the Italian Government. The building will remain in the site also after the end of the World Exposition and used as a technology and innovation center for the city of Milan.

The Italian pavilion, by its dashingly-texturized facades and the progressive “de-materialization” of its envelope from the bottom up, resembles a urban forest.

The four blocks that define its appearance from the outside, also form the “backdrops” that encircle a central plaza – covered by a photovoltaic glass roof- which is the main gathering area for the public as well as the entrance point of the pavilion’s exhibition galleries, located at the upper floors and accessible through a large ramp.

The building envelope is made of a special photo-catalytic concrete, produced by Italcementi, that absorb the air pollutants and, by the action of the sunlight, transforms it into inert salts.

The exhibition, entitled Italian Identity, occupies four levels of the pavilion; it presents some innovative Italian entrepreneurs; the beauty of the country, represented by landscape and architecture depicted on a huge kaleidoscope; the stories of people who have been able to grow excellent food products in a geographically and logistically problematic land; and finally it features a “nursery garden” with 21 edible plant species, each representing a region of Italy.

Photos © Inexhibit, 2015, all rights reserved