UK Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 – ©Crown, Photo by Hufton Crow.

A golden orb and a meadow tuned the the buzz of honeybees. UK Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 responds to the Feed the Planet motto focusing on the concept of the beehive and how new research and technology are helping to address food security and biodiversity.

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.

UK Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 – Courtesy of UKTI.

Designed by Nottingham based artist Wolfgang Buttress, the British exhibition welcomes visitors to walk through a fruit orchard and enter a natural wildflower meadow. As they near the centre of the meadow, the focal point of the structure comes into view: a golden orb made of fine steel lattice based on the design of a honeycomb. The ‘Hive’ will pulsate and buzz with the noise of a real bee colony.

UK Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 – ©Crown, Photo by Hufton Crow.

“The concept is to suggest the parallels and intrinsic relationships between bees and humans. A bee has pollinated every third mouthful of food we consume. The world bee population is currently in decline and in poor health; the beehive can be seen as a barometer of the health of the world”. Comment Wolfang Buttress

UK Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 – ©Crown, Photo by Hufton Crow.

“A bee colony is more than an ecosystem: it is an advanced culture, with complex interactions and mutual interdependencies.  Parallels may be drawn with human societies.  This proposal plays upon such parallels, exploring the life of a bee colony, to promote understanding and insight. The ethos behind the design is to create something quiet which says a lot with as little as possible.  It is a pause point and a place for contemplation within the Expo; the whole pavilion can be an experienced as a journey highlighting the honeybees’ importance in food production“.

UK Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 – Courtesy of UKTI.

The honeycomb interior pays tribute to leading UK research breakthroughs as a contributor to global food security solutions. LED powered lights represent the recent hi-tech UK innovation of detecting and translating bee vibrations as a way of monitoring the health of the hive. 

Winning artist Wolfgang Buttress opened his first studio in Nottingham after graduating in 1987 and now employs seven people. Over the last two years he has won numerous national and international awards, including the International Structural Steel Award for projects under £2million in 2013. Earlier this year he received the Kajima Gold Award in Japan for his work ‘Space’.

UK Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 – ©Crown, Photo by Hufton Crow.

The United Kingdom participation at Expo is themed ‘Grown in Britain’ and promotes the country’s world leading expertise in the creative, life sciences, agri-tech, and food and drink sectors to our top trade and investment partners.

UK Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 – Courtesy of UKTI.