‘A pavilion at the Expo shouldn’t be a box that solely showcases products and companies of a country. At its best, a pavilion offers a surprise, a fun time with a message and an adventurous exploration. By creating a lasting impression, it will connect the visitors personally to the values of a country and its culture.’
The project features a supersized mill, that circulates water through the pavilion and brings one experience that Austria is famous for to the desert of Dubai : Refreshment.
Water shaped our country and it generates most of our energy. In times where large cooperations are buying wells and the pollution of our rivers, lakes and oceans is on a all time high, the pavilion should be a statement to underline the importance that that water is a public asset. Water is the source of life. It is the main designer of our environment. It makes up two thirds of a human body, just like the map of the world. Water is our physical connection with the planet.
On average, it rains between 0 and 1 times per month during the time of the Expo in Dubai. Attracting millions of people the Expo in Dubai will be a particularly hot event.
‘Usually, the task of a building is to protect against weather. But our building leaks, drops, vapors, steams and rains. In this sense the Austrian Pavilion is like a large sprinkler that refreshes its visitors.’
The Austrian Pavilion is open to the sides to let wind flow through the wood structure. On the top of the pavilion, shades protect from direct sunlight. Between the structure, watermills slowly carry collected & clean Austrian rainwater to the top and drop by drop make it rain throughout the building – inviting people to interact, play and regenerate..
Once inside, visitors can decide the level of their refreshment: either using the umbrella, or experience the Austrian rainwater hands-on. Different zones of vapour, drops, steams and pouring rain provide a path through the pavilion.
The circulation of the mill – bringing water to the top, pouring it down and reusing it to pick it up again – is also the perfect embodiment of the water circulation itself. A continuing cycle that is the source of every thing.
‘The Source of Everything’ is a collaboration with Smartvoll and was selected as a finalist in the international competition for the Austrian Pavilion 2020 at the Expo in Dubai.
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