With three full-size, seaworthy hulls for its roof and a nautical rope facade made from recycled plastic, the Italian pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 embraces the concept of reusable design.
Favored by an excellent location on the Expo grounds – between the thematic areas “Opportunity” and “Sustainability” and with uninterrupted front and side views – the pavilion drew one-fifth of all visitors to the event in its opening weeks, making it one of the most successful.
“The biggest inspiration behind our design is the circular economy,” says architect Italo Rota, referring to the idea of recycling, repairing and reusing waste materials, instead for simply throwing them away.
Rota was one of the pavilion designers and worked extensively in Paris, where he was in charge of the lighting of both Notre Dame and the banks of the Seine. “National ropes themselves are an example of it (the circular economy): they are produced through the recycling of 2 million plastic bottles, and when combined, they reach a length of 70 kilometers (43 miles). ) They have been planned for further recycling after the Expo.”
first/15 – UAE’s booth
Expo 2020 Dubai is now open, showcasing a spectacular array of pavilions, many designed by world-renowned architects. The UAE pavilion, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is a sight to behold, shaped like a falcon – the country’s national bird – in flight. The structure is in the shape of a falcon wing made from carbon fiber and fitted with solar panels. Credit: Karim Sahib / AFP / Getty Images
Reducing waste at the end of the event is also a priority for co-designer Carlo Ratti, an architect and engineer who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “One thing I don’t like about makeshift events – like the various international exhibitions or the Olympic Games – is that a large amount of waste ends up in landfills after just a few weeks or months. This is why we wanted the Italian Galleries to address the temporary nature of Dubai Expo 2020. Most of the architectural elements are recycled or recycled, reused or reused.”
Both Rota and Ratti have previous work experience with World Expos, having worked on projects for the final edition, which was held in Milan in 2015. The current exhibition, has been postponed to open in last year due to the pandemic and thus retaining the moniker “2020”, will remain open in Dubai until the end of March 2022.
The pavilion incorporates reusable design into its structure – through the use of organic ingredients such as orange peels and coffee grounds in its building materials – and features a natural climate mitigation system. Use shading, misting and ventilation systems to replace air conditioning. There are no conventional walls, instead nautical ropes demarcate the exhibition space and also act as a multimedia surface through the use of luminous LEDs to display colors and patterns. different images.
The Italian pavilion has a façade of nautical ropes, made from 2 million recycled plastic bottles. Credit: Michele Nastasi
Once inside, you’ll find yourself on an elevated boardwalk 36 feet (11 meters) above the ground and just below the first ship’s hull.
Michelangelo’s 3D printed replica of David. Credit: GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP / AFP via Getty Images
In the spirit of experimenting with different ways to bring the natural and man-made worlds together, the structure sits on a 16-foot-high dune, made with locally sourced sand. The walkways and interior passages are decorated with 160 species of plants, a project jointly developed with botanists at Italy’s National Research Council.
Ratti said the hulls that form the roof were built by Fincantieri, one of Europe’s largest shipbuilders, and it is likely that they could eventually be turned into actual working boats.
Still, there are ongoing conversations about transforming the pavilion into a design hub once the World Expo is over. “So the hulls can become victims of their own success, and it may take longer before they set sail,” says Ratti.
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