UK pavilion shortlist announced for milan expo 2015

UK pavilion shortlist announced for milan expo 2015
all images courtesy of UK trade & investment / malcolm reading consultants

shortlisted proposals have been revealed by UK trade & investment of the eight teams competing to build the UK pavilion at milan expo 2015. listed anonymously, the finalist team leads in alphabetical order are: AL_A, allford hall monaghan morris and studio myerscough, asif khan, barber & osgerby, david kohn architects, grant associates, paul cocksedge studio, and wolfgang buttress studio. the structure will showcase britain’s contribution to research, innovation and entrepreneurship in response to the global challenges addressed by the expo theme ‘feeding the planet, energy for life’. the UK’s thesis for the scheme is ‘grown in britain: shared globally’.

‘I am excited by the quality of these ideas. the creative sector has truly risen to the challenge of designing a world-class UK pavilion that builds on the incredible success of our presence in shanghai. it’s clear from the quality of the shortlisted ideas that the UK will have an extraordinary presence at milan expo 2015,’ explained hannah corbett, the UK commissioner general and project director.

malcolm reading, architect and competition organizer said: ‘this competition has run to an ambitious timescale and the finalists have responded admirably. ‘designing a pavilion is a unique challenge: the structure needs to say it all in a glance yet continue to intrigue over the life of the expo. these are high-caliber teams who have produced a diverse and sparkling set of propositions and we’re looking forward to their jury presentations.’

the eight finalists will present their concept designs to the competition jury on may 1 with the winner to be announced later in the month. see below for more details on each proposed scheme.

team 1

the design references ai wei wei’s sunflower seeds, reducing the scale of every person on earth

referencing the terracotta army and ai wei wei’s sunflower seeds, the proposed pavilion attempts to house every single person on earth, through reducing their scale by one hundredth of their real size. in this way 7.2 billion people are able to fit onto the expo plot in 300 vertical layers. consequently, the 80 x 15 x 12 meter structure will contain the entire world’s population in three dimensions.

team 2

the scheme takes the form of a three-dimensional infinity loop

team 2’s scheme celebrates the UK’s island setting within two connected environments: sea and land. taking the form of a three-dimensional infinity loop, the design represents the importance of joined up food chains. within the dynamic landscapes, the pavilion communicates the relationship the british food industry shares with weather, water and soil cycles in addition to specific future production technologies, processes and produce.

the design reflects the importance of joined up food chains

team 3

1,296 reusable telegraph poles create a instant timber forest

through dissolving the border between internal and external space, team 3 has established an organic sense of fluidity. 1,296 reusable telegraph poles create a timber forest providing guests with a calm and inviting space that takes visitors on a journey of exploration. publicly accessible computer tablets installed with augmented reality software, transform the pavilion’s physical environment into a digital world of sound and color.

team 4

the design is a working, ecological and self-sustaining model that allows visitors to engage in debate

reflecting the expo’s theme, team 4’s pavilion celebrates how british agriculture and technology have had a positive impact on the world – providing solutions to global problems. the design is a working, ecological and self-sustaining model that allows visitors to engage in debate, creating entertaining experiences through a range of technologies and materials.

team 5

guests to the expo enter through an orchard, discovering a wildflower meadow before entering a ‘virtual hive’

entitled ‘BE’, team 5’s pavilion explores ways in which research and technology are combating the plight of the honeybee. guests to the expo meander through an orchard, discovering a wildflower meadow before entering a ‘virtual hive’, which pulsates, buzzes and glows according to signals from a real hive. the proposal explores the life of the bee colony through an immersive sensory experience, leaving visitors with a lasting reminder of the british landscape.

team 6

inside a roofless, black container, visitors walk along paths cut through a vast volume of water

the pavilion proposed by team 6 uses water as a metaphor to address the expo’s theme of feeding the planet. inside a roofless, black container, visitors walk along paths cut through a vast volume of water representing their water footprint. the design attempts to make visible the statistic that 80% of the water we use is hidden inside our food.

team 7

once the expo has closed, the glasshouse will be relocated to the UK for use as a research facility

team 7’s ‘strawberry fields forever’ tells the story of how british scientific and technological innovations are benefiting food production and consumption on a global scale. a lightweight pavilion comprising a state-of-the-art glasshouse invites visitors to journey through the sights and sounds of future fruit cultivation. once the expo has closed, the glasshouse will be relocated to the UK for use as a research facility.

team 8

the design celebrates the people and ideas that are leading scientific research, agriculture and food production

the design proposed by team 8 provides each guest with information about how they can help to meet the global food challenges. the immersive, memorable and friendly  journey based around the four themes of THINKERS + GROWERS + MAKERS = SHARERS celebrates the people and ideas that are leading scientific research, agriculture, food production and food consumption.