Slovenia sets out to stimulate the visitor’s senses, offering a showcase of its culinary diversity. Although, in geographical terms, it is relatively small, the country has 24 gastronomic regions, and at Expo Milano 2015 visitors can sample wide array of specialty, including wines. Vineyards are indeed a characteristic of a significant portion of the Slovenian territory.
Walking through the green areas, which are a key feature of the pavilion, visitors are reminded of its lush landscape and can take this opportunity to get to know Slovenia.
The pavilion is designed and will be built with natural materials – mainly from wood and glass, as Slovenia is one of the most forested countries in Europe, we can say the wood is its strategic material. The structure will be complemented with greened walls inside and on the outside facades.
Distinguished by large ranges the structure is one of the first hybrid constructions by slovenian designers; it combines wooden skeleton construction with cross-laminated timber and load-bearing elements. West facade is mostly glazed with large triangular shaped windows that allow views into the interior of the exhibition spaces. Other facades are not so open – it consists of wooden battens, which are randomly divided by white steel profiles in order to achieve a look of leaf’s surface.
Slovenian pavilion, I feel Slovenia. Green. Active. Healthy, Expo Milano 2015
Architects: SoNo Arhitekti
Project Team: Edvard Blažko, Marko Volk, Nina Tešanović, Nejc Batistič, Samo Radinja, Matija Kocbek, Tomaž Bavdež
Civil engineer: CBD
Mechanical engineer: Biro ES
Building contractor: Lumar IG
Area: 800 sqm
Completion: 2015