expo gate by scandurra studio welcomes milan's upcoming world's fair

expo gate by scandurra studio welcomes milan’s upcoming world’s fair
photo © filippo romano
image courtesy of scandurra studio

serving as a symbol for the approaching 2015 world’s fair in milan, two pavilions have been realized in front of the city’s historic landmark, sforzesco castle. designed by local architecture office scandurra studio, the project is derived from proportions of prior expo gates as well as the city’s duomo cathedral, and results in stepped and triangular-formed lightweight structures. beyond their identifying power, the white frameworks also house galleries which function primarily as information centers and ticket offices. additionally, the buildings, and the central outdoor plaza, are able to host a variety of installations and events related to the expo.

located in milan’s center, the two pavilions frame a central square
photo © filippo romano

the temporary structures’ design is based on principles of lightness, transparency, and modularity, resulting in a repetitive external framework of stepped steel members.

open to the public daily from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, the gate offers visitors informative multimedia displays related to the expo, and will be open for a year and a half in total. additionally, a series of interdisciplinary events, curated by caroline corbetta, will include conferences, meetings, and debates as well as workshops for children.

the triangular volumes are composed of a lightweight stepped framework
photo © filippo romano

lasting from may 1, 2015 – october 31, 2015, the world’s fair has 147 official participants (144 countries and 3 international organizations). each are contributing a pavilion and exhibitions centered around the theme ‘feeding the planet, energy for life’. see designboom’s full coverage on expo milano 2015 here.

an animation clarifies the design’s influence from former expo gates and milan’s duomo
video courtesy of scandurrastudio

for a year and a half total the two gate structures and their central square host a series of events
photo © filippo romano

the central outdoor square flexibly serves as a space for events and installations. through the month of august 2014, the plaza was occupied by ‘quantomais,’ a small corn field which renders the urban site as a place for food production. conceived by A4A rivolta savioni architetti, the garden was comprised of 1,500 plants, and on september 7 was dismantled and transferred to various gardens throughout milan.