andrea maffei: italian pavilion for expo milan 2015

andrea maffei‘s  ‘italian pavilion‘ for expo milan 2015images and drawings courtesy of the andrea maffei

andrea maffei synthesizes myriad ideas of space throughout italian history in his design of the italian pavilion for expo 2015.a single form or vocabulary would not capture the richness of multifaceted italian culture; therefore, the four story structure is composed of layered spaces that vary in degrees of openness as well as form, material, and color. the ubiquitous idea of the piazza in the italian city is embodied on the ground level. renaissance organization and geometric shapes inform the first level. the second level echoes the baroque with its undulating forms, while its white color palette is reminiscent of marble. the tree-like structure and gardens on the roof level echo the long history of italian agrarian and garden culture.

ground floor piazza with baroque roof embellishments

exterior view of the italian pavilion

an escalator brings visitors to the roof garden

the pools throughout the pavilion are reminiscent of the many rivers that run through italy

aerial view of the structure in context of the five buildings of the master plan

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project info:

project:                       italian pavillion expo 2015location:                     milan, italyprogram:                    pavilion for exhibitionclient:                           expo 2015 s.p.a.competition time:  dec. 2012 – feb. 2013project architect:   andrea maffeidesign team:             takeshi miura, alessandra de stefani, stefano bergagna, takatoshi oki, roberto balduzzi / andrea maffei architects s.r.l. milanostructure:                   alberto ferrari, steve alemanno / ramboll ltd.facade:                        nicoletta bacchin / ramboll ltd.mep plants:              giancarlo tanzi / techproject srlfirefighting:              maria elena perrotta, giancarlo tanzi / techproject srlcost control:             techproject srlsecurity coordination:        techproject srl

construction program        techproject srl

net area:                      10,146.6 smq.

gross area:                 12,758.4 smq.

maximum height:   25 m

materials:                   concrete, steel, glass, wood