CHINA PAVILION, EXPO MILANO 2015 BY STUDIO LINK-ARC

Rejecting the typical notion of a pavilion as an object in a plaza, Studio Link-Arc’s winning proposal for the China Pavilion is conceived as a field of spaces. Designed as a cloud floating over a “field of hope”, this roof creates a sheltered public space that incorporates the building’s exhibition program and creates an iconic image for the project. The theme for the Chinese Pavilion is “The Land of Hope.” The project embodies this theme in part through its undulating roof, derived by merging the profile of a city (on the northern side) with the profile of a landscape (on the southern side), expressing the idea that “hope” can be realized when nature and city exist in harmony.

The project’s floating canopy is designed as a timber structure that references the traditional Chinese “raised-beam” system, but is adapted for modern construction technology. Referencing Chinese culture and history, the canopy is covered in shingled bamboo panels that shade the spaces below. The building’s ground plane (the “field of hope”) is defined by a landscape of wheat (acknowledging China’s agrarian past) that transitions to a multimedia installation in the center. The project’s exhibition programs, located on this ground plane, are experienced as a sequence of spaces, beginning with an exterior waiting area in the landscape, leading to a themed exhibition space with interactive installations. After this, visitors are guided up a gently sloped ramp to a platform above the main exhibition space. The sequence concludes with visitors stepping outside the building onto a roof terrace that enjoys expansive views of the Expo grounds.
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