T
x
Expo 01 Bienne, 1999
Cultural
International competition
Bienne national fair, Switzerland
The theme of this site, “Power and Freedom”, rests upon a conceptual approach which accentuates the almost conflictual dialectic between these two ideas. This Expo.01 site has two main components: Expoparc, which makes a symbolic gesture of the earth, and the Forum, a floating technological structure jutting out into the lake towards a promising future. All building elements are “precyclable”, and can be reused for another function following the dismantling of Expo.01. The Expoparc is built of a grid of shipping containers, creating an underground network of exhibition spaces lit by skylights and sunken exterior courtyards. The Forum, built entirely of rented scaffolding, presents a kinetic structural system enveloped by a movable which can be deployed to create projection surfaces defining particular outdoor events.