The next EXPO World Exhibition will be held in 2025 in Japan. Twenty years earlier, the EXPO was also held in this country. We would like to remind you what the Polish Pavilion at EXPO 2005 in Aichi Prefecture looked like.
Expo 2005 in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture lasted from 25 March to 25 September. Its theme was “The Wisdom of Nature”. Pavilions of 121 countries were presented at the event.
The design of the pavilion was selected in an architectural competition held in 2004. Interestingly, the architects were not allowed to design any form. The organisers prepared the ‘skeletons’ of the buildings. This was dictated by safety concerns; the pavilions had to be resistant to a possible earthquake. Participants in the competition had to limit themselves to designing the façade and interior design.
The winning concept in the competition was prepared by the Krakow architect Krzysztof Ingarden and the visual artist Aleksander Janicki and his team. Their concept turned the pavilion into a lightweight balloon-like structure. The rounded shapes of the façade were achieved with a wicker form that permeated the interiors. The wicker seemed to envelop the pavilion and gave it an organic form. The raw material was applied to suitably curved steel elements. The decorative element was hand-applied to the individual elements. This was done by artists from the Rudnik nad Sanem area.
A recess in the façade marks the entrance to the building. The arrangement of the space was designed to allow visitors to discover the exhibition as a walk through a cross-section of Poland. From the lowest point – the sea – to the highest – the mountain peaks. An element decorating the pavilion was the glass sculpture ‘Soul of a Piano’ by Tomasz Urbanowicz.
Wrapping the Polish pavilion in wicker was a hit. Visitors and experts liked the idea. The project won many awards, including the Contractworld 2006 Grand Prize in Hannover and the “Project of the Year 2005” award from the Main Board of the Association of Polish Architects.
The Polish Pavilion at EXPO 2020 in Dubai, designed by the Polish studio WXCA and the Swiss studio Bellprat Partner, was also a success. The building was awarded the Best Large Pavilion at the World Expo Awards, meaning that it was the prettiest among all exhibiting countries. Photos of the Polish pavilion can be found HERE.
And what will the Polish Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai look like? You can find out in the article HERE.
source: INGARDEN & EWY(www.iea.com.pl)
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