Expo 2015: Vanke

The Chinese giant in real estate Vanke with its participation in Expo Milano 2015 aims to offer the world a showpiece of contemporary life in China, from the perspective of ordinary people, through the experience and spirit of the Shitang.

In its pavilion of 959 square meters are recreated the atmospheres linked to the Shitang which, much more than a simple canteen, represents a traditional social structure, present since ancient times, and which still exists in contemporary Chinese society in various forms. It is a convivial space where they can find inexpensive food and a peaceful, healthy environment. The participation of the construction company Vanke is one of the three faces of China’s presence at Expo Milano 2015 which is divided into three different pavilions that are separate but interconnected with each another: the China Pavilion, the China Corporate United Pavilion, and the Vanke Pavilion.

The pavilion, located near the Lake Arena, was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind of New York and by Libeskind Architettura in Milan, which conceived it as an extension of the surrounding landscape. The musicality of its proportions, its sinuous geometry and the fluid movement between the inner and outer volume, create a journey through space and time. The exhibition is organized on two independent routes, from the inside towards the outside, and with a garden that is found on the roof. Visitors are immersed in a forest of poles, with screens which project scenes of lunches, joy, and sharing. The installation, based on the metaphor of roots, trunks and branches symbolizes Vanke’s commitment to the community, which lives among the mutual relationships of people, values and traditions.

The facing consists of three-dimensional stoneware slabs glazed in a quaint lacquered red. The dye is a special colouring that has been specifically formulated and developed for this project by Casalgrande Padana’s colorimetric laboratory. The ceramic material used in the Vanke pavilion is from the Fractile range, designed by Libeskind himself.

Vanke Pavilion, Expo Milano 2015
Architects: Studio Daniel Libeskind, Daniel Libeskind Architettura
Engineering: Bodino Engineering
Exhibition design: Ralph Appelbaum Associates
Structural design: Ramboll UK
Plants design: Deerns Italia
Project and construction management: J&A Consultants
Construction project consultants: ETS, SPS
Coordinator of the exectuve planning: Vittorio Di Turi Architetto
Area: 959 sqm
Completion: 2015