Designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, the corporate pavilion for Vanke China aims to explore key issues related to the theme of Expo Milano 2015 ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’. The concept for the Vanke Pavilion incorporates three ideas drawn from Chinese culture related to food: the shi-tang, a traditional Chinese dining hall; the landscape, the fundamental element to life; and the dragon, which is metaphorically related to farming and sustenance. All three of these concepts are incorporated in the Vanke Pavilion’s exhibition, architecture and program.
Situated on the southeast edge of the Lake Arena, the 800-square meter pavilion appears to rise from the east, forming a dynamic, vertical landscape. The design features a sinuous geometrical pattern that flows between inside and outside. A grand staircase, clad in warm grey concrete, carves through the red serpentine form and guides visitors to the upper level. A roof-top observation deck with a planted garden will provide stunning views of the lake and near-by Italian pavilion.
The concept behind the design was to incorporate many aspects of Chinese life into the project. The pavilion is a dynamic structure that represents the growth and endurance of the Chinese people. It is a complete fusion of internal and external space, which allows for an unexpected encounter between the pavilion and its surrounding public space.
The pavilion is adorned with over 4,000 striking red metalized tiles, a collaborative design effort between Libeskind and an Italian company. These geometric ceramic panels not only form a captivating pattern reminiscent of dragon scales but also boast impressive sustainable features, including self-cleaning and air purification capabilities. The three-dimensional surface is finished with a metallic sheen that shifts in color as light and perspectives change, sometimes appearing as a rich crimson, other times sparkling in gold, and at certain angles, radiating a brilliant white.
Enhancing the pavilion’s dynamic form, the tiles are affixed using a cutting-edge cladding support system that introduces a rhythmic pattern and mathematical elegance to its fluid, twisting shape. Two spiraling staircases rise gracefully from the southern side and the northern entrance at Lake Arena, serving dual purposes of circulation and seating while echoing the pavilion’s unique design.
The pavilion is adorned with over 4,000 striking red metalized tiles, a collaborative design effort between Libeskind and the Italian firm Casalgrande Padana. These geometric ceramic panels not only form a captivating pattern reminiscent of dragon scales but also boast remarkable sustainable features, including self-cleaning and air purification capabilities.
The three-dimensional surface of the pavilion is enhanced with a metallic finish that shifts in hue as light and perspectives change. At times, it radiates a rich crimson, while at other moments, it dazzles in gold, and from certain angles, it can even appear as a brilliant white.
Installed using a cutting-edge cladding support system, the tiles create a rhythmic pattern and mathematical elegance that complements the pavilion’s fluid, twisting form. Two spiraling staircases, mirroring this dynamic shape, rise from the southern side and the northern entrance at Lake Arena, providing both circulation and seating for visitors.
Inside the pavilion, visitors encounter an exhibition space filled with a constellation of 200 screens mounted to a matrix of bamboo scaffolding. The forest of screens and bamboo floats above a winding reflecting pool that borders the visitor pathway. As visitors move through the space, a ten-minute narrative experience unfolds across the screens and over 22 channels of audio. With each step and every turn of the head, the space and story appears anew: it is rich and layered; it is at once fragmented and simultaneously reads as an enthralling, shattered whole.
The narrative vacillates between chaos and calm. The frenzy of life in the city is starkly juxtaposed with the extreme slow motion of a communal meal, first in its preparation and then in its consumption. The message—about the power and possibility to forge connections and build community through food—is meant to be understood more viscerally than intellectually.
The top level of the pavilion provides a private space to accommodate small events and host VIPs. The intimate room features an open layout, a large skylight that ushers in natural daylight, bamboo veneer wall coverings and a dramatic hand-blown glass chandelier designed by Libeskind for the Czech artisanal glass company Lasvit.