milan expo 2015: austrian pavilion naturally yours 1st runner up

milan expo 2015: austrian pavilion naturally yours 1st runner up
all images courtesy of penda

the design for the austrian pavilion ‘naturally yours’ by architectural firm penda in collaboration with alex daxböck has won 1st runner up for the milan expo 2015, themed ‘feeding the planet’. the winning idea provides visitors with the opportunity to plant seeds and then directly eat the food grown on the pavilion. based on austria’s high quality, locally grown produce the concept for the pavilion lies within its structural framework – at the end of the expo it will be fully taken over by organic food.

‘no other country has more organic food from local farmers in shops and food markets and the reason is austria’s size. being a small country means short distances from locally produced food to its costumers.’ says the designers.

at the beginning of the expo the 3.6m structural grid will be fully exposed, its timber frames eventually filled with seeds of vegetables, fruits or herbs. the pavilion is based on a modular grid system, which enables it to flexibly adapt to increasing numbers of visitors and also easily deconstructed and reused afterwards.

the pavilion will constantly change during the 7 months due to the seeding, growing and harvesting of the plants

‘the structure is just a frame for ‘homegrown’ food, the visitors become the main designers, decorating the pavilion with plants of their choice.’ says the designers.

at the entrance people will be given pots to plant along a ramp that is partly open to the outside. running through the main structure, it will be lined with local plants and seeds to help communicate the full lifecycle of growing food. examples of different ways natural produce is treated while it grows, how it is picked and harvested will be on display. at the end of the ramp a restaurant will complete the full lifecycle of food with the ingredients combined to make traditional austrian cuisine accompanied by wine or schnapps.

during the summer months the pavilion will turn into a green garden for the expo

the beginning with the bare structure (left) at the end of the expo the plants will have taken over the whole pavilion (right)

the produce will be harvested and the ingredients used for traditional austrian meals at the restaurant

detail showing how the plants will grow on the structure

visitors walking along the ramp gain insight into how different types of food is grown and the harvesting process

at nighttime the plants will be the main design feature

site plan and concept diagram of the pavilion

the structure provides enough space for the visitors to plant herbs, vegetables or fruits

plans of the austrian pavilion

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model images of the naturally yours pavilion

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