Instant book Expo Milano 2015. Who, What and Why
Instant book Expo Milano 2015. Who, What and Why
This instant book has been sponsored by:
Rete Nazionale delle Professioni dell’area Tecnica e Scientifica (National Network of Technical and Scientific Professions - RPT)
Consiglio Nazionale Architetti, Pianificatori Paesaggisti e Conservatori (National Council of Architects, Planners Landscape Architects and Conservationists)
Consiglio Nazionale Chimici (National Council of Chemists)
Consiglio Nazionale Dottori Agronomi e Dottori Forestali (National Council of Doctors of Agronomy and Doctors of Forestry)
Consiglio Nazionale Geometri e Geometri Laureati (National Council of Building Surveyers and graduate Building Surveyers)
Consiglio Nazionale Geologi (National Council of Geologists)
Consiglio Nazionale Ingegneri (National Council of Engineers)
Collegio Nazionale Periti Agrari e Periti Agrari Laureati (National College of Agricultural Technicians and graduate Agricultural Technicians)
Consiglio Nazionale Periti Industriali e Periti Industriali Laureati (National Council of Industrial Technicians and graduate Industrial Technicians)
Consiglio dell’Ordine Nazionale Tecnologi Alimentari (National Council of Food Technologists)
Facts, figures and stories of the protagonists
Expo Milano 2015. Who, What and Why For 184 days, 110-150,000 people came to Italy, to Milan, to tour the world and enjoy the colours, the cultures and traditions of dozens of countries, far and near. An area of over 1.1 million square metres became the largest construction site in Europe and for six months, with temporary structures that will be dismantled at the end of the event, it became a citadel of attraction with its architecture and installations, its gatherings and business transactions, a symbolic place of globalization.
“There is great satisfaction for the atmosphere that has been created. This event has undoubtedly enhanced the image of Milan and Italy around the world” V.G. Loscertales, Bie Expo 2015 “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” spotlighted the issues of hunger in the world, the battle against waste, the sustainability of food and the environment. The exhibition site is a major public work, monumental yet light, where content and containers engaged many professionals who each in their own way contributed to the construction of an innovative, efficient and industrialized section of city. Pieces arranged over a unitary master plan, which will have to be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere; an agricultural area, occupied on a temporary basis, that will have to be reclaimed by the city for public benefit.
The Network of Technical Professions (RTP) which represents over 600,000 Italian professionals, gathering nine different professional and technical Associations including Architects, Chemists, Agronomists and Foresters, Building Surveyors, Engineers, Agricultural Technicians, Industrial Technicians and Food Technologists, was constituted to foster a fertile and effective dialogue for the benefit of citizens, public agencies and everyone who operates in these specific sectors. With this objective, the RTP sponsored the publication of this instant book dedicated to Expo 2015, to illustrate this laboratory that, with its highs and lows, describes a country, Italy, that has successfully met international expectations. “There is great satisfaction for the atmosphere that has been created - declared Vicente Gonzales Loscertales, General Secretary of the BIE - and for the number of visitors, because you can tell that people are very pleased. The commissioners of the all Countries tell us they feel they are the centers of attraction. This event has undoubtedly enhanced the image of Milan and Italy around the world. And the fact that the government was successful in its efforts to invite many of the world’s heads of state, demonstrates the attention and the credibility achieved”. PPAN communication and networking for the built environment, has recorded the opinions of the protagonists, and followed events day by day, from the construction phase to the inauguration and beyond. This publication offers a reasoned interpretation of the history of Expo 2015, which can help to get oriented within the galaxy of information, press releases, newspaper articles and tweets, with special attention to the built environment. Paola Pierotti and Andrea Nonni
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We also talked about.. #narration #symbols
#figures #process
#masterplan #thenewMilan
#wine #realestate #themepark #wowfactor
#energy
#globalizingsolidarity
#ExpoinItaly #italiantouch #socialpeople #companies #designers #professionalsentrepreneurs
#multimediality #rules #infrastrcture #welcoming
Stefano Boeri Richard Burdett Joan Busquets William McDonough Jacques Herzog Alessandro Pasquarelli
V.G. Loscertales Bie Expo Spa #biodiversity
#architecture #materials
Giuseppe Sala Romano Bignozzi Pietro Grasso Stefano Gatti Franรงois Hollande Michele Mario Elia Gilberto Cardola
Papa Francesco
Manpower Bodino Engineering Cws Nussli Rubner Stahlbau Pichler Caritas
Germano Celant Fernando C. Cordero Angela Maffione Riccardo Fossati #technologicaltransfer
#Dubai2020 #message #market #equality #socialresponsability #networking
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Maurizio Martina Alessandro Rosso
Index #politicallycorrect
#serendipity #businessplan #criticalissues #spotlighted
Camera di Commercio Matteo Renzi Angela Merkel Enrico Letta Michelle e Barack Obama
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Giacomo Biraghi Davide Oldani
#unitedwestand #coordination
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Samsung Telecom Enel Cisco
Matteo Gatto Metropolitana Milanese Fiera Milano Infrastrutture Lombarde Italferr Arexpo
Leopoldo Freyrie Armando Zingales Andrea Sisti Gian Vito Graziano Maurizio Savoncelli Armando Zambrano Lorenzo Benanti Giampiero Giovannetti Carla Brienza
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Introduction 4 The event in brief Expo step by step 8 The story The context Contents e containers 14 The narration Who made Expo 18 Italian touch Coordination Companies Designers Multimediality How Expo is made 42 Rules Welcome Thematic Areas Architecture The Countries What’s new at Expo Milano 76 Clusters Private and Sustainable Opportunity and networking 82 Market Real Estate A day trip to Expo 90 How to prepare Five stops The map 100 Lights and shadows 102 Business plan International red carpet The interviews 108 Expo Spa answers The voice of the Professions
My notes...
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The event in Milan is a showcase and a bridge towards the rest of the world, notwithstanding the delays and the criminal investigations
Expo: 5,300 construction workers, a 6-month event, a billion euros in foreign investments Expo Milano 2015 is a challenge launched by an Italian city to the entire world. It is a call to arms and an opportunity to revitalize Italy with a credible plan, sustained by themes such as food, agriculture, water, the fair distribution of resources and waste across the food chain. Expo is a laboratory for modern construction techniques, which has employed thousands of workers and hundreds of companies and designers for months on the construction sites: in the last two months of construction, there were over 5,300 workers on the site of Rho Pero. In the International Year of Soils, Expo becomes a showcase that exhibits the most recent developments on themes such as the landscape, cooperation, biodiversity and agriculture.
In the International Year of Soils, Expo becomes a showcase that exhibits the most recent developments on themes such as the landscape, cooperation, biodiversity and agriculture
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Leaving aside the delays, the controversy, the rigged tenders, the scandals revealed by criminal investigations and the arrests, Expo is a spark that through October 2015 can help jumpstart a stalled engine, drum up relations and business, shine a spotlight on Italy and its finest achievements in the fields of construction, technology, green economy,
1. The legacy of the International Expositions of the past and the themes of Expo Milano 2015 (source: Expo documents)
as well as the quality of its companies and professionals. With its ups and downs, Expo has finally become a reality, standing out as a successful, vital and experimental urban laboratory. Expo 2015 occupies an area that is one fifth the size of the last Exposition in Shanghai. No more hyper-scale in the event dedicated to “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life�: the Italian Expo will be remembered for its monumental
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Introduction The event in brief
2. Foody is the name of the mascot of Expo Milano 2015 (photo: Expo 2015/Daniele Mascolo)
lightness. The master plan was defined as a tribute to the castrum romanum, and a 100-hectare Smart City was built from scratch: it will feature the most innovative technology to accompany visitors, from May through October 2015, on a journey to discover the flavour and the science of 145 countries from all over the world. Over 50 of them have built their own pavilion - the Self-Built Exhibition Spaces - on the lots assigned to them; the other countries will participate in the event with a shared
space inside thematic pavilions called Clusters, focused on a geographical area or on a product, and created by the organizers. The Expo in Milan is the first exposition conceived with a focus on the social media: a “socialmediahub� was set up to share experiences on Facebook and Twitter. Thematic photo albums were uploaded to Pinterest, dedicated to themes such as Climate Change, Food
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Markets or Infographics. And many an Expoptimist has dedicated a website to real-time information to convey data and interesting facts. The year 2015 will be remembered for the symbolic constructions, but also for the commitment to create networks, to bring together different cultures to talk about the environment. This is why the urban plan paid particular attention to the design of the piazza, of the theatre, of public spaces and streets. Milano reminds us that collective identity is to found in designed open spaces and, as required by the Bureau International des Expositions (Bie); built in a suburb with no apparent future, it demonstrates that it is possible to invest in infrastructure and construct a temporary project with architecture that will later be recycled and reused.
The collective identity is found in open furnished spaces. In a suburb without a future to invest in a temporary project with architecture to recycle and reuse
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Expo is also a synonym of tradition and innovation, of culture, business, architecture, recreation, history, nature and technology. Expo Milano is all of the above. The great Italian event of the year 2015 must be interpreted and described with an interdisciplinary approach. Expo is an opportunity for network-building and business: the Arab Emirates have invested 72 million euros, China 60 and Germany 58, Japan Mexico and Russia spent 42: it is estimated that directly or indirectly, the Countries have invested one billion euros for the event in Milan. 3. Work in progress on the largest construction site in Europe
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Food, soil and energy: exhibitions around Italy and international business projects
When architecture becomes a narrative device for its content One third of the food produced in the world is never eaten: every year 400 billion dollars worth of foodstuffs in the world goes directly from production to landfill. In China alone, every year over 25 billion euro worth of food products go to waste. Remaining in the Chinese republic, the problem of food is a key issue: feeding 1.4 billion people, one fifth of the world’s population, is one of the priorities in a country that counts only 15% of arable land and that wants to remain self-sufficient in the production of wheat and rice.
“May Expo be an opportunity to change our mentality, we must stop thinking that our daily actions have no impact on those who, near and far, are suffering hunger” Pope Francis It takes 20,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of meat and only 1,000 to produce a kilogram of cereal crops. Roughly 75% of the soya produced in the world is used to feed 4 billion animals to be transformed into food for a billion
people. Around 125 million people in the world depend, in one way or another, on the export of coffee and its downstream activities. And the cultivation, processing and distribution of coffee around the world is a business worth 165 billion dollars per year. These are just some of the figures that corroborate the centrality and the urgency of the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. #globalizingsolidarity “Visitors strolling through the Pavilions of Expo must picture the faces of the men and women who are hungry. Expo 2015 - stated Pope Francis on the day the event was inaugurated must help to develop an eco-sustainable model, we must globalize solidarity. May Expo be an opportunity to change our mentality, we must stop thinking that our daily actions have no impact on those near and far who are suffering hunger”. #ExpoinItaly Once the gates of the International Exposition were flung open, the spotlight shifted from the construction site to the theme: food. Months were spent cultivating awareness in the populations of Italy and the world, initiatives and events sprouted up all over the country: the Ministry for the Cultural Heritage launched its new VeryBello website, which lists and details all the events promoted in Italy during Expo; the Politecnico di Milano university seized the opportunity to inaugurate a master programme on Food. In addition to the
31 BELGIUM Belgian Conviviality Has a Sustainable Future (2,790 sqm) Client: Belgian Government Design: Patrick Genard & Asociados A responsible and interactive city rebuilt with three main areas: the farm with a pitched roof, the cellar presents the techniques of alternative production and a hall dedicated to relaxation and kitchen, covered by a glass dome. 14
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Contents and containers The narration
9. Pavilion of Slovenia
10. Pavilion of Spain
exhibition entitled “Arts & Foods� at the Triennale di Milano, which is part of Expo Milano 2015, the Maxxi Museum in Rome and the Muse in Trento have organized exhibitions with workshops and lectures dedicated to food and nourishment and focusing on markets, on the organization of space, and on soil management.
develop their content on the themes of sustainable food, agriculture, and environment. Slovenia built a pavilion featuring five prismatic structures with a cladding that alludes to cultivated fields, and reproduces the topographic diversity of the Slovenian territory. Spain has created a greenhouse with two parallel naves: one made out of wood that embodies tradition, and one made
#symbols On the island of Expo, many are the countries that have chosen to
42 BELARUS The Wheel of Life (950 sqm) Client: Republic of Belarus Design: Kolya Shizza The pavilion is a green hill split in two by a mill wheel 30 meters high. Water is the protagonist in a small river and on the glass walls of the volumes, while the exhibition areas under the grass remember the salt mines. 15
From the worksite foreman to the diplomat who handled all the international participations, from the global construction companies to the major brands
Stories of men and companies. The galaxy of key players on the front lines to build Expo “If we are here we owe it to the people who worked on the construction of the exhibition site. Expo 2015 - stated Giuseppe Sala, the Government Delegated Commissioner for Expo Milano 2015, on the opening day of Expo - is not the product of an Italian miracle, but of the devotion that few are able to express, and it is very promising that a large part of the design and construction is the work of a team of young professionals”.
“It is very promising that a large part of the design and construction is the work of a team of young professionals” Giuseppe Sala “May 1st and Expo 2015 tell our story: the power of Italy, working, believing in the future and creating excellence #letsamazetheworld”. This was the substance of the tweet by Minister Maria Elena Boschi on inauguration day. After years of controversy, the race against time began 100 days before the exhibition site opened: the countdown turned up the speed and for four months the work continued day and night so as not to dash the expectations of the world.
In an article in the Corriere della Sera on April 18th, Paolo Foschini finally presented a comforting report. “At three in the afternoon, the builders from the Emirates put down their tools and improvised a party: even the pavilion with the artificial oasis designed by Norman Foster, one of the largest at Expo, was finished yesterday. The largest of all, the German pavilion, is in the testing process. China is finishing the roof, but inside everything is practically completed. Israel, says the reporter, is waiting until the day before the opening to install the plants in the vertical garden, but if it wanted to it could do so today. Thailand is finished. Chile is finished. Kuwait is finished. The list is now a long one, it would be faster to list those who aren’t on it”. So 13 days before the opening, there were only five pavilions behind schedule: Russia, Nepal, Turkey, Indonesia. And Italy. In those final days, however, a record number of construction workers was registered, almost 8000 workers were counted on the site. By the end of March, the number of workers had doubled in two months from 3000 to 6400: there were over 500 Italians, followed by the Arab Emirates with 281, the United States with 257, Germany with 249, Mexico with 235, Brazil with 227 and China with 204. #italiantouch The companies worked miracles. With their craftsmen, set designers, electricians, cooks, gardeners, construction workers, computer
118 CHILE A Country Rich in Variety (1,910 sqm) Client: Government of Chile Design: Cristian Undurraga The pavilion is an inhabited bridge consists of a box of cross-laminated wood beams, suspended in mid-air on large pillars. At ground level, there is a relaxation area with a long table laden with typical Chilean food. Reuse in Chile. 18
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Who made Expo Italian touch
12. Construction site, a view of the Israel Pavilion and against the background the structure of Palazzo Italia
13. Construction site, a view of the Decumanus with the Service Facilities 56 CHINA Land of Hope, Food for Life (4,590 sqm) Client: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Design: Tsinghua University & Studio Link-Arc The coverage of the pavilion takes the skyline to the north of Beijing and the soft lines of a natural landscape to the south. Is surrounded by yellow flowers in memory of a cornfield, and is the second foreign pavilion by extension. 19
specialists, hundreds of professionals involved in the construction of the patchwork known as Expo Milano 2015. Creative professionals, technicians and operators contributed resources, materials, ideas and solutions to deliver everything on schedule by May 1st, 2015. Expo spa directed the operations, but the contribution of individuals was of essential importance to managing each and every piece of the puzzle with expertise, quality and reliability. Expo Milano 2015 is the product of the labour of men, professionals and businesses, of people who stalwartly took on the responsibility of carrying out their personal duties.
“We could have done better with more organization especially at the beginning. But the truth is that our work was outstanding” Romano Bignozzi The heart and soul of the construction site The man who directed the traffic of thousands of construction workers on the site is 78 years old: he is Romano Bignozzi, an expert in public works, who worked on the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland and on all the major Italian highways, who built residential complexes in Berlin, railroads in Algeria, hydro-electric plants in South Africa. He participated in the construction of Lines 1 and 2 of the Metro in Milan, on the Milano-
14. Tweet by Stefano Gatti (@sgatti2015)
Bologna high-speed railway, he has worked around the world and finally came to Expo. A qualified industrial technician (who earned his diploma as a building surveyor attending night school), he came to the Expo site on September 12th 2009. “There was nothing but fields and ruins”, he said. In talking about Expo, Bignozzi lists only the more “arduous” works: deviating 13 torrents, moving a sewer six meters wide that led to the water-purifying plant. “We worked like mad, and then
57 COLOMBIA Naturally Sustainable (1,907 sqm) Client: Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Design: Manuel Villa Arquitectos and Studio Cardenas The pavilion tells the different climatic zones in Colombia where the territory goes from 0 to 5,000 m above sea level. The thermal levels are described with images on the facades. Green roof and wooden structure of fir. Budget: 15 million euros. 20
15. Construction site, in the foreground the Service facilities, in the background Palazzo Italia (photo: Expo 2015 spa - drone)
came the disaster”, referring directly to the arrests made in relation to the criminal investigations on the calls for tender. “There is no doubt - commented the construction manager - we could have done better with more organization especially at the beginning, with all the bureaucracy we had to deal with. But the truth is that our work was outstanding”. The diplomat Of the many figures that determined the success of Expo, one
was a diplomat: Stefano Gatti, born in 1963, with experience at the Embassy in New Delhi as Chief Secretary followed by a position in Brussels with Nato through 2001. A diplomatic advisor and head of the Office of International Affairs for Innovation and Technology for the President of the Council of Ministers until 2006, he was an Advisor for the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations through 2009. For six years Gatti supervised Expo: he
29 SOUTH KOREA Hansik, Food for the Future: You Are What You Eat (3,880 sqm) Client: Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism Design: Archiban The concept of the pavilion refers to the typical ceramic vase, moon jar, the product of local craftsmanship is used for storing food. At ground level, there are events space, the boutique and restaurant; the first level the exhibition space. 21
The Wow and Stargate factors. You don’t go to an amusement park in a coat and tie, you don’t learn the content, you enjoy the experiences
What and how to choose? A guided tour with the director of digital Pr at Expo Expo Milano 2015 cannot be appreciated in full in one day, or even three: it would take at least 15 days. So what should you go see? How do you choose?
The attractions are the 153 buildings that offer an experience to enjoy with the senses: smell, sight, touch, hearing, taste. There is no intent to explore in depth Newspapers, weekly magazines, blogs, posts on social networks have offered hundreds of rankings of the attractions on the site of Rho Pero, before and after the gates opened on May 1st 2015. Some invite you to interpret the pavilions by type: the ones that feature a particularly meticulous urban plan with paths that wind outside, through the building and then up onto the terrace, such as the German or Russian pavilions; or the more picturesque pavilions that echo traditional forms, such as Nepal or Qatar; or the ones that focus on the message, such as Austria or Switzerland. But Expo is not just architecture: some invite you to taste the beer and fries at the
69. Pedestrian walkway at the West entrance
Belgian pavilion, and others recommend the supermarket at the Thai pavilion, which sells kits to cook Pad Thai at home. Then there are the events: from the music and colour shows held every hour at the Tree of Life, to the “Alla vita!” show organized by the Cirque du Soleil in the Open Theatre: a dream-like journey
113 CHINA CORPORATE UNITED Seeds of China Client: CCU Design: Nongji University - Shanghai Within a regular volume a spiral shape ramp leading to garden in coverage. Several interactive installations: the table with two holograms, steer a ship with the 3D viewer, tap a fabric that measures the heartbeat. 90
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A day trip to Expo How to prepare
featuring acrobatics, dance and theatre, held every week on the site of Expo. Giacomo Biraghi, who is responsible for Expo’s digital public relations,
have read just about everything and the opposite of everything. So what do you do when the time comes to organize your own trip?
accompanies visitors to the site every week, responding to requests via Twitter from his own personal account. He is one of the moving spirits of the Expoptimists, and has even published his cellphone number on Facebook to answer questions about Expo2015 on Whatsapp. Experimentation. Communication plays a key role: we
#themepark Rule number one: “You need to have a clear idea of what you are going to visit. Before arriving at Expo, you need to dedicate at least fifteen minutes to concentrate on what an exceptional theme park Expo really is, much like cruise ships, casinos and amusement parks”. Biraghi thus starts his tour by presenting a method.
110 COCA COLA Official Soft Drink Partner Client: Coca Cola Design: Peia Associati The outer walls of the side, in laminated wood and drilled sheet, reproducing the Coca-Cola’s logo and the of Contour’s silhouette, the historic glass bottle which in 2015 celebrates its 100 years. After Expo structure will become a basketball court. 91
70. The Islands, sea and food Cluster
Expo is an area enclosed by a fence and is only accessible to people who have paid for an admission ticket. Inside there are hundreds of attractions and thousands of events. “The attractions - he explains - are the 153 buildings that offer an experience to enjoy with the senses: smell, sight, touch, hearing, taste. The point is not to explore in depth”. Do not expect analytical content at Expo Milano 2015, there are no museum pieces, it is not a trade fair, there are no company products, stands, people in coats and ties handing you a business card.
Like at all theme parks, you must expect to wait in line. There is no escaping it. Japan was the first pavilion to get organized with a sign that specified how long the wait would be. “You must expect to spend 20% of your visit standing in line: 30-45 minutes up to a maximum of three hours - specifies Biraghi. So the expectation for the visit must be satisfied by the experience at the heart of the attraction. Overall we might say that there are about twenty exceptional works in Milan, about a hundred are average and another twenty do not meet expectations”.
55 CORRIERE DELLA SERA Casa Corriere Client: Corriere della Sera Design: David Knafo The only daily newspaper to participate with its own pavilion. An onsite editorial staff and a venue for events: attend the ‘Caffè e Consigli’ at 11:15 am (every day) or the ‘Aperincontra’ three times a week at 6:30 pm. 92
71. Pavilion of Indonesia
72. Entrance to the US pavilion
#wowfactor Expo is definitely not about business or analytical descriptions. “Success depends on the awe that can be generated without any explanation, the so-called “Wow” factor, explains Biraghi. At the same time when the visitor’s turn finally comes, it is important that he steps into an experience that takes him far away in space and time, like “Stargate”, as happens, for example, in the Kuwait and Arabs Emirates pavilions. On the average, consider that a visitor spends 60% of the time he dedicates to a pavilion to enjoying the actual attraction,
and another 20% afterwards in the shopping area that each country has set up with restaurants and stores. The programme is repeated daily in the 153 attractions and follows a schedule that features about a thousand events every day. Expo is the same every day, it is for everyone, especially families with children. #politicallycorrect “Expo is an event organized by a Government every five years, and unlike cruise ships, amusement
62 EATALY Service Architecture Client: Expo spa Design: Onsitestudio and Liverani Molteni 2 buildings and a green space. Located within the spaces of the architecture of the service, not only food but also art and music: the 14 regional restaurants and menus change every month and, in the west section, the exhibition Treasures of Italy. 93
73. View of the Decumanus towards the Mediterranean Hill. In the foreground the spaces of Slow Food
parks and casinos - explains Biraghi - it is temporary (184 days in all) and is managed like a condominium, in the sense that there is not just one owner coordinating the personnel”. The “condominium” of Expo Milano 2015 counts over 400 representatives: 146 countries (out of a total of 211 in the United Nations), 168 associations, 11 non-governmental organizations, 68 businesses, 19 Regional Governments and 16 cities. “Each pavilion, from the Chinese pavilion to that of the Agronomists, from the CocaCola to the Slow Food pavilion - continues
the guide - was built with the economic resources, contents and personnel typical of the condominium, without any form of coordination, nor any kind of evaluation”. #serendipity Biraghi recommends visiting the Expo with “an attitude open to surprise, without approaching it like a collector: there’s no prize to be won, no business to conduct. The best thing is to choose. Expo, he says, in an experience to enjoy, selectively. On what basis? Serendipity”. To run across something unexpected, to connect apparently insignificant facts
28 ENEL Smart Energy & Lighting Solutions Partner - Sharing Energy Client: Enel Design: Piuarch A light forest defined by 650 vertical white polycarbonate tubes that light up, a walkway and a control room. The volume of the building is virtual and the matrix of the project is the Smart Grid created to power the Expo site. 94
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A day trip to Expo Five stops
according to the same criteria. “If we look at the decumanus as if it were the Eiffel Tower laid down horizontally, the walk down the axis - explains Biraghi - is the first thing to do when you walk onto the site. In front of the United States you will find Iran, near Ecuador there’s China”.
to reach an important conclusion or at least to appreciate the thought-provoking coincidence. Once you have understood what Expo is or isn’t, get dressed and prepare for a day of fun, the tour is about to begin. Part one: walking down the Decumanus. The symbol of Expo Milano 2015 is the Decumanus: 1.3 km of fantastic visual and physical experiences, where Italy, the host country, has developed an arrangement, in the master plan, that conveys the concepts of democracy and equality, where all the nations are positioned
“Expo is an event organized by a Government every five years, and unlike cruise ships, amusement parks and casinos, it is temporary (184 days in all) and it is managed like a condominium, in the sense that there is no one owner coordinating the personnel” Giacomo Biraghi Part two: the Mediterranean Hill The long and slow-paced promenade ends at the most suggestive location of the Expo site, from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Exposition (by day and by night). Like through a forest, the walk winds past cork, holm, cypress and downy oak trees. “From here, you can see the 13 new high-rises in Milan on the horizon, including the tallest skyscraper
5 EXCELSIOR - OVIESSE Official Retailer Client: Gruppo Coin Design: Marco Zito and Alessandro Pedron The only store to sell Expo-brand clothing. The two L-shaped spaces separated by a street of green light, come together to form a parallelepiped. The structure made of oxidised metal modules is an allusion to the surfaces of Venetian canals. 95
The point of view of Expo spa. Interview with Matteo Gatto, director of Visitor Experience & Exhibition Design
A simple flexible project, Italian creativity and expertise in managing construction How many professionals were involved in one way or another in Expo? About 3,500 in groups or as individual professionals, with different areas of expertise in the area of design. Each contract involved dozens of technicians to draft the preliminary, final and working drawings. For all the operations handled by Expo spa directly, the planning office was responsible for drafting the preliminary drawings, with the exception of the service facilities and the Italian Pavilion, for which we commissioned independent firms and companies to develop the final and working drawings.
“The part not built directly by Expo, about 80% of the total, was handled by foreigners, whilst the remaining 20% required the assistance of licensed Italian professionals, familiar with the building codes� Professionals, Italians or foreigners? Except for some countries and for some Corporate buildings, the work coordinated by Expo has been developed fot the
95% in Italy. An important international contribution was originally given by the Architectural Consulting Committee, then we went ahead with the preliminary designs developed in-house . And how about the foreign countries? The proportion is reversed, because in most cases the preliminary and final design were developed in the country of origin, and Italian professionals were commissioned to develop the working drawings, which required the signature of professionals with a permit to practice in Italy, as well as knowledge of fire prevention and building safety codes. In synthesis, it may be said that 80% of the total for the part not built directly by Expo was handled by foreigners, while the remaining 20% required the assistance of Italian professionals, as part of or independently of the contract. Some chose to work with more famous local architects, as did the Arab Emirates, and others like Brazil chose young designers to handle the working drawings and construction management. For the Clusters, you involved the Universities. In what way? The Cluster project began with a workshop attended by 180 students supervised by 36 tutor, teachers or non-tenured professors at the University, who defined the arrangement of the structures. For the feasibility studies, Fiera Milano commissioned several professional
99 NEW HOLLAND Client: New Holland Agriculture Design: Recchi Engineering and Carlo Ratti A pitched roof covered with grass with a tractor at the top are the embodiment of the theme of the pavilion: products and innovations in sustainable agriculture developed by New Holland, a world leader in agricultural mechanization. 108
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The interviews Expo Spa answers
83. Public spaces along the Decumanus
firms to develop the part concerning the engineering systems and the drawings, and to assist the contracting companies. For the Cluster project alone, about a thousand contracts were signed to produce the three levels of design. How was the planning Office that you coordinated over the years structured? We began with 5 senior designers
chosen from the University among the researchers and independent professors, and with 16 recent graduates from the City Planning and Architecture departments. Together, on the basis of the concepts by the 5 members of the Architectural Consulting Committee, we developed the master plan, which was delivered in June 2010 as part of the official dossier. We later hired 16 engineers to develop the
40 PERUGINA Client: NestlÊ On the outside the pavilion appears as a synthesis of the brand’s codes: the blue, the stars and the paving wrap the visitor in the world of Baci. Two fountains of chocolate are fuelled by solar panels. Visitors may interact by posting their thoughts on the Baci Wall. 109
Continue your journey.
Expo in the city http://it.expoincitta.com
Expo on the road
http://www.socialmediaexpo2015.com/ expoinviaggio/
With the recipes of the world
http://worldrecipes.expo2015.org
Coming soon Expo Astana 2017 https://expo2017astana.com
Expo Dubai 2020
https://expo2020dubai.ae
The following blank pages are useful to take notes or write down ideas to remember about your visit to Expo Milano 2015.
My notes...
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Content, graphic design, editing and layout: PPAN communication and networking for the built environment Written by: Paola Pierotti Concept and coordination: Andrea Nonni
Translations English edition: Olga Barmine
We would like to thank: Rete delle Professioni Tecniche (RPT) Expo spa Special thanks to Roberto Nonni for his care, support and collaboration
The reproduction of some images in this instant book was authorized by Expo, for some other images the publisher is available for any rights holders that has been impossible to find. This publication contains information received before August 31st, 2015. Published by Archivia via Moscova, 25 20121 Milan First edition in September 2015 Printed in Italy by Artigrafiche Salin isbn code 9788898534050
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Expo Milano 2015. The Master plan Facts, figures and stories of the protagonists
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