TRADE SHOW
The most recent Universal Exposition (better known to us Americans as the World Fair) was held this year in beautiful Milan, Italy the city s second time hosting the international event, which is staged every five years or so. The theme of the 2015 expo was Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, which urged the 140 countries participating to build pavilions that explored how new technologies and old gastronomic traditions combine to create new ways of nourishing people, both physically and spiritually.
As expected, the participants came through with some seriously impressive pavilions, the best of which were recently recognized by Exhibitor Magazine. We picked five of our favorites for a bit of design porn (or simple inspiration for you next exhibition), courtesy of some of the world s best creative minds.
Best Use of Technology: Inside the Supermarket of the Future
No exhibit better captured the complex ideas behind this year s theme than the Future Food District, designed by innovation and design firm Carlo Ratti Associati. At the interactive exhibit, attendees were able to wander through a modern-looking supermarket and learn about how food will be produced and consumed in the future. Also, there were cool two-armed robots;
Best Exhibit United Kingdom Pavilion s The Hive
The UK took home Best Exhibit for their pavilion dedicated to the beleaguered-but-environmentally-essentially bee, which has made headlines in recent years for its dwindling population. The structure, which was designed by Wolfgang Buttress, is intricate and incredible; watch its construction over a period of months below:
Best Pavilion German Pavilion
Not to be outdone, Germany won recognition this year for its airy, strangely Ikea-like pavilion,
conceptualized and designed by SCHMIDHUBER and Milla & Partner. The pavilion s air exterior was designed to convey flowing natural landscapes, while its interior offered educational exhibits about food production on a more granular level. See their explanation of the pavilion here:
Best Exterior Design United Arab Emirates
No surprises here with its flowing, curvilinear walls that mimic the windblown ripples of the Middle East s vast deserts, the UAE s pavilion was arguably the most visually striking of them all. Inside, the pavilion explored themes of sustainability with a focus on the low-carbon ccity of Masdar. Designers Foster + Partners explain the concept s evolution below: