GermanyAfter soliciting design proposals from across the European Union, Koelnmesse International GmbH, the official organiser of Germany’s pavilion, arrived at a longlist of 25 submissions which was then reduced to a shortlist of six. The gleaming space station lookalike is the product of Milla & Partner GmbH, Schidhuber + Kaindl and NUSSLI Deutschland GmbH, respectively responsible for its exhibition areas, architecture and construction. Allotted a 6,000 sqm, the three stakeholders created a structure that snakes across the rectangular lot, taking visitors on a physical journey that transitions from natural landscape to the populated and compact reality of German cities. For its planning, assembly, operation and dismantlement, the German Government has set aside 30 Mil Euros*, collected from taxes.
The pavilion’s lightweight and permeable quality – achieved by a silvery mesh that envelopes the entire structure – gives the impression of a hovering cloud. Although the building exterior is angular, the bulk of its volume is raised and only rooted to the ground at four points. Supplied by Verseidag Indutex GmbH, the metal mesh appears like canvas that is tautly stretched onto a tent-like frame. “Compared to conventional solutions that use a shell made of rigid materials such as steel sheet, aluminium, glass or fibre cement, this membrane is very light. Combined with its flexibility, that means it provides a cost-efficient yet ingenious way of creating large, geometrically complex shapes such as that of the German Pavilion,” says Florian Özdikmen of Schmidhuber + Kaindl. While attractive, the mesh also serves as a shading system to limit light penetration and reduce cooling loads and hints at an active programme within. “You get an idea of the structure beneath and behind it. So there’s a multidimensionality that gives the structures depth and makes them seem lighter”, adds Özdikmen. Other than its light reflecting skin, this pavilion does little else on the sustainability front, with a token installment of SCHOTT solar cells on its southern facade.
The pavilion’s theme, ‘Balancity’, described as “a city in balance between renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, society and its individuals, work and recreation, and finally, between globalisation and national identity” is expressed in the winding exhibition areas. Visitors enter through a meandering path beginning at the centre. After traversing a terraced landscape, guests arrive at the first of several sections, named “Urban Periphery”, a pictoral depiction of Germany’s major cities. Groups of 20 are then ushered into a tunnel equipped with a moving walkway and multimedia projections of sounds and visuals common to cities. Next comes the “Harbour”, a 3D display of Hamburg’s harbour. Each exhibition section unfolds sequentially, not unlike a museum. The “Planning Office” follows with magnified urban plans, sketches and models along the walls and floor. People then enter the “Garden” a verdant pocket, which leads to the “Depot” and “Factory” - tactile displays of German-made products and innovations. After the “Park”, “Behind the Scenes” - a theatrical tribute and “Opera” - staging live operatic performances, guests are led into an open area preceding the climax of their tour, the Energy Source. This 12-metre-high amphitheatre features a sphere at its core measuring three metres in diameter and completely covered with LEDs. Here, the pavilion’s website explains: “visitors ... activate the sphere with their movements and loud calls. It begins to swing back and forth. The greater the swinging motion, the more intense the colours become. The sphere’s energy is reflected throughout the complete amphitheatre – on its balustrades, walls, ceiling and floor. The motion the visitors have activated takes on speed and intensity. The sphere begins to oscillate. A multitude of images from Germany and from balancity flash by the visitors’ eyes. Then, the sphere becomes still. The room gleams in a green light and a natural, very pleasant atmosphere – including a blue sky – takes over. A globe transforms into a seed, the seed into a blossom. New life emerges. With positive feelings in their hearts, our visitors leave the German pavilion, filled with a common energy”.
Switzerland“Nature’s Playground”, also known as the Swiss pavilion, arose from a two-stage competition launched in 2006 by the nation’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and is the pride and joy of Buchner Bründler Architects and Element GmbH. A bird’s eye view of the pavilion presents a surreal picture, as if the uppermost layer of earth has been sliced off and raised several metres above street level and leaving behind a sheer veil. Taking up 4,000 sqm in total, the structure is shrouded with a 17-metrehigh gauze curtain sporadically decorated with 11,000 cells. From afar, these resin-covered cells appear like blood droplets but are actually only red to display Switzerland’s national colour. Each cell contains an electronic circuit board, solar cells that absorb energy through two double-layer condensors (high performance energy accumulators), a light-emitting diode (LED) and sensors that pick up on neighbouring activity. The units glow dimly or brightly depending on their exposure to sunlight. Electro-magnetic impulses received from adjacent cells also impact on their intensity, thereby causing a chain reaction or wave of coloured light across the facade. Subtly imprinted with the country’s outline, these cells will become souvenirs once the Expo closes its doors, to remind visitors of Switzerland and of sustainable technology.
The pavilion’s scintillating symphony of solar cells and LEDs is a conspicuous way of advertising its heavy investment in this sector. Switzerland is not generally reputed for its technological advancements and this serves as the perfect opportunity to reinvent itself as not just a country that delivers finely made watches and chocolates, but one that has a global concern as its priority. It’s curious to note, however, that two of its Platinum sponsors happen to be Swatch and Nestle.
Drawing on the ‘playground’ aspect of the pavilion, the design and exhibition spaces offer much entertainment. Visitors will no doubt gravitate toward the chair lift which is something in between a fairground ride and a ski lift. After securely taking their seats, passengers will be hoisted up and along a single track that uncoils from the pavilion’s core and loops around the building’s rooftop meadow. Inside, guests can marvel at The Alps, a film projected on a 10-metre-high IMAX screen. Another exhibition area features 15 life-size screens of Swiss citizens talking about their dreams for the future. The interior programme is simple, open and uncluttered with a restaurant and VIP lounge as added amenities.
This pavilion intends to portray the ideal city as one that accomplishes symbiosis between nature and the urban condition, hence the rooftop pasture and solar curtain. Sound familiar? Almost every country attending the Expo is interested in preserving nature and imbuing their built environments with greenery. At least this is their official statement at such a public forum. After all, it would be a public relations nightmare on an international scale if countries at the Expo excluded nature from the “Better City, Better Life” equation. Nature has not only become the ethical elephant in global politics, but also a valuable resource of renewable energy to be harnessed in an age when other finite sources are dwindling. The test will be to see if renewable energy becomes a well-funded interest for Switzerland and the rest of the world.
