France Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015

France Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 – Photo by Enrico Zilli.

France Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 responds to the fair motto “Feed the planet” with an wooden structure covered by vertical crops ready to be harvested. The project by XTU architects hosts multimedia and interactive exhibitions about France agricolture, gastronomy, technology and food culture. The French participation will suggest a new sustainable perspective for the future: a fertile market with products grown on site that allows both production and consumption in the same place.

France Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 – Photo by Enrico Zilli.

The project upgrades the concept of the GREAT MARKET. Tomorrow’s market won’t be just a place of exchange but a place of production to be consumed on the spot. Indeed, the pavilion will feature exhibitions on the ground level, the consumption on the terrace and the production on facades and roofs.

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RELATED STORIES: Read more about Milan Expo 2015. From national pavilions to a complete recap on the sustainable architecture that must not be missed at the global event. Feed the Planet – Energy for Life.

STRUCTURE – The design of the building refers to the geological map of a French territory. All the structures, floors and facades are made in wood expressing the French expertise in timber frame. Invisible assemblies and a complex geometry is made of digital cutting define the volumes of the building.

France Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 by XTU architects.

INSIDE THE BUILDING – An open air orchard guides visitors inside the pavilion, at the first floor a scenographic opened square covered with plants and interactive visual installations will evoke the French identity born from territories. The top floor hosts roof-crops and a restaurant offering vegetables grown on site and ready to be eaten on the spot.

France Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 by XTU architects.

FACADES & TERRACE: Thanks to hydroponic production, hops will be growing on the facades changing the look of the building each season whilst aromatic herbs will flourish on the terrace. At the end of the fair, France Pavilion will host a great event for the hops harvesting.

France Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 by XTU architects.

XTU architects comment: “If the world wanted to eat like the West, several planets would be needed… Civilization will need to evolve: it must produce and consume differently”.

France Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 by XTU architects.

“GEOLOGY has provided France with a wide variety of soils and, consequently, a rich GENETIC heritage and an essential RESOURCE to produce differently. These condition have created a cultural and gastronomic heritage of HIGH QUALITY. With its double feature, France can initiate new practices and a new attitude!”