Atsushi Kitagawara Japanese Pavilion Expo Milano 2015

Japanese architect and university professor Atsushi Kitagawara designed a pavilion for Japan's participation in Expo Milano 2015 combining the principles of traditional Japanese culture with advanced technologies.
Wood, for example, is a constant in traditional Japanese constructions, from major civil engineering works down to utensils for everyday use in the home. A choice dictated by the widespread availability of this resource: Japan is 70% covered by forests.

Architect Atsushi Kitagawara designed a "three-dimensional wooden grid" based on a “compressive tension method” used on the outside of the Japanese Pavilion. The modular elements of the grid and the way they are connected form a structure which is highly resistant to earthquakes, making the pavilion an example of innovative architecture combining traditional culture with advanced technologies.
The construction is on two levels, with an exhibition area on the ground floor and restaurants and an events area on the first floor, which has a large entrance and a longitudinal orientation recalling the layout of a traditional Kyoto home. In the evening the three-dimensional grid surrounding the pavilion is lit up by weak light which creates delicate multi-coloured shadows. The illuminated floor forms a route leading to the restaurants and reproducing the typical atmosphere of a Japanese avenue.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Design: Atsushi Kitagawara
Location: Expo Milano 2015, Rho Fiera – Milan Italy

Images courtesy of Japan Pavilion PR
Images courtesy of Expo 2015

www.expo2015.org
www.expo2015.jp

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