Chilean Pavilion - Expo Milano 2015
From the very beginning, we tough that our pavilion should be wooden made. There is a beautiful and rich tradition of wood construction in our country which roots are found in the European colonization in America.
Wood is also one of our most important natural resources; it is a renewable material being Chile one of the most successful countries in reforesting rates in the planet.
In order to extend the life cycle of the building, its structure is designed like a Meccano, where the simplicity and rationality of its construction system allows quickly assembling and disassembling of the pieces making possible to dismantle, transport and rebuild the structure back in Chile once Expo2015 is over. At the same time, its spaces are designed to be neutral; this not only gives flexibility during the exhibition but also it will allow adapting it to different uses in the future.
Formally, the pavilion is a simple box or container whose expression is defined by its reticulated structure. Structure and architecture is one single thing. From distance it appears as a totality, acquiring a monumental scale; as you get closer the complexity of the structure and the size of its components give not only human scale but also a craftsmanship quality.
The wooden box is seating on 6 metal pillars. This “bridge like” condition liberates the ground floor creating a visual transparency and allowing free stroll of the visitors. At the same time, this strategy establishes a close relationship between urban space and intimate space, narrowing and fusing the line drawn between the public and the private.
The duality between enclosed and open space is reflected in the exhibit. First, the open space under the wooden volume serves as an atrium to receive the public. From there the visitors start a linear experience. They go up through an intriguingly dark moving ramp where cracking rocks noises mixed with poem readings abstract them from the exterior. Inside, visitors go through an emotional experience, where Chile shows its amazing geography, shaped by millions of years of tectonic movements. That combined with the love and effort of the people who live in it, results in one of the country’s most valuable treasure, its fruits.
Once the visitors finish the interior and more intimate experience they go down through an open ramp imbedded into the wooden structure. As they descend, a 50 meters long table made of natural Lenga wood, starts revealing under the pavilion. There, is where Chile shares its love and its fruits with the visitors by inviting them all to seat at the same table.
The pavilion also counts with a small auditorium and a multipurpose room with an independent access, allowing hosting temporary events without interrupting the regular exhibit.
