Moving architecture: a pavilion that will continuously mutate into different forms!

Compiled by TeamIAnD

Renders: Courtesy CRA

Read Time: 2 mins

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As if docking after a journey by sea, three boats designed by Carlo Ratti Associati will arrive in Dubai and become the backbone of the Italian pavilion - part of an exploration into recycling, circularity and reconfigurable architecture… 

Exactly one year before the opening of the World Fair in Dubai (Expo 2020), Italy unveils the final design for its national pavilion, conceived by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, Italo Rota Building Office, matteogatto&associati and F&M Ingegneria. 

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The Pavilion, officially unveiled in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.A.E., is made out of three boats, which will embark on a figurative journey to Dubai and will be converted into the roofscape of the structure before moving on after Expo 2020 – as an exploration into recycling, circularity and digitally reconfigurable architecture. It will open its doors to the public on October 20th, 2020, in Dubai, U.A.E., and will remain open until April 10th, 2021. 

The radical design is based on a circular approach to architecture. The three boats will be converted into the pavilion’s roofscape. In a similar way, the project integrates sustainable materials – such as orange peels, coffee grounds, mycelium and recycled plastic extracted from the ocean – as construction elements.

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Exposed to the atmosphere, the pavilion uses natural climate control strategies instead of air conditioning. Space is delimited by an adaptable façade made of LED curtains and nautical ropes, which will create a digital layer able to broadcast multimedia content.

“We liked the idea of a pavilion that would continuously mutate into different forms,” says Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA practice and director of the MIT Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “We pursued a kind of architecture that could be reconfigured both in the long term – because of its circularity – and in the short term – thanks to digital technologies.”

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“Nothing goes to waste; instead, we reclaim it and reimagine its purpose,” adds architect Italo Rota, founding partner of Italo Rota Building Office. “The sea will figuratively enter the structure through one of its living organisms, seaweeds, which will be used to produce energy and food.”

The pavilion’s roof is a sinuous surface that recalls sea and desert waves. Its base is carved out of a giant sand dune, accessible to people. The project makes a conscious effort to integrate materials that hint at Dubai’s local geography, as well as organic waste to experiment with more sustainable building practices and engage with the circular economy. For instance, the exhibition will stretch over a dune made with real sand, while the skywalk will be clad in innovative materials obtained from discarded orange peels and used coffee grounds. 

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The project explores the importance of history, tradition and memory in sparking innovation, while paying tribute to the seafaring populations that have inhabited the Mediterranean basin through history, shaping a common cultural heritage. The pavilion continues CRA’s ongoing experimentation with innovative exhibition structures at World Fairs.

Fact File:

Architects: CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and Italo Rota Building Office, with matteogatto&associati and F&M Ingegneria

Creative Director: Davide Rampello, Studio Rampello and Partners

Set Design Consultant: Alessandro Camera

Lighting Design Consultant: Lorenzo Bruscaglioni, Luminae Lighting Design

Sound Design Consultant: Alessandro Pasini, P2A Design

Landscape Consultant: Flavio Pollano

Wayfinding Consultant: Luigi Farrauto, 100km studio

Graphic Consultants: studio FM milano

Project Location: Dubai in 2020