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Expo: breathe.austria

The Austrian pavilion designed by team.breathe.austria presents the air as planet’s staple food, combining the structure and the environment into an integrated contribution.

By planting a forest on an area of 560 square metre, the Austrian pavilion breathe.austria creates a multi-faceted network of relationships between mankind, the environment and the climate.

The pavilion forms a frame around a generous vegetation zone and acts as a vessel for the performance of the indoor landscape. With technical support (but without air-conditioning) the framed form actively generates the micro-climatic conditions of an Austrian forest. Where light enters the built structure, there is growth and ecological metabolism.

The vegetation of the miniature forest has a foliar surface or evaporation area of approx. 43,200 sqm and produces 62.5 kg fresh oxygen per hour – enough for 1,800 people – a “photo-synthesis collector”, which contributes to the global production of oxygen. Inside the pavilion this effect is technically supported by evaporative cooling – but without air-conditioning systems. This replicates an atmosphere that feels like a thick forest in Austria with comparatively natural means using the cooling effect of the evapo-transpiration of the plants. The result that is achieved differs significantly on a number of sensory levels from the air and climate in Milan and can thus actually be felt by visitors.

terrain : landscape urbanism BDA, breathe.austria Padiglione Austriaco, Expo 2015, Milano — team.breathe.austria, Austrian Pavilion, Expo 2015, Milan

The planting of trees over the entire exhibition area is an exemplary contribution to action in an urban setting, as the integrated use of a landscape can supply urban areas with sufficient oxygen and cooling air, which in turn provides an opportunity to draw attention to Austria’s policy of sustainable reforestation or conversely to the decline in the global tree population.