THE STONE ARCHITECTURE OF THE EXHIBITION PAVILION 20th-21th Century

Abstract

Since the 20th century, the Exhibition Pavilion has become the privileged field of experimentation, an accelerator of ideational processes and, in some cases, a spatial device of constructive and material knowledge of the mutations of its time architecture. Because of its strong symbolic dimension and its constant presence in the history of architecture, the Exhibition Pavilion represents the privileged design theme for experimenting new architectural trends, granting the designer great compositional and linguistic freedom. Its ephemeral nature connotes it both as the synthesis of a spatial idea to be projected within exhibition spaces and as a permanent memory of eternal works of architecture. Archetype of temporary architecture for its expression of lightness, flexibility and adaptability, the word Pavilion derives from the Latin papilio, formerly a type of tent folded in the two front flaps that resembled the wings of a butterfly, in French papillon. Embedded within the broad framework of national or international events, the Pavilion is the most evident space of certain antinomies: temporariness/stability, ephemeral/permanent, durable/provisional. The expressive potential of stone architecture has shown an important field of experimentation in the Exhibition Pavilion, making it possible to investigate certain spatial and constructive dimensions according to the material specificities of the natural stone used: thick cladding, load-bearing stone and load-bearing stone integrated with metal elements. In his book Pavilions, pop-ups and parasols (2015), Peter Cook re-enacted the role of pavilions in the event city, defining them ‘as platforms for change’ capable of bringing visitors together in stimulating places and promoting new experiences. While the role of the Pavilions has always been to share ideas, architectural concepts and new materials, it is currently the ideal field of application for experimenting with new structural forms through the convergence of tools related to computational design and digital fabrication with the aid of robotic manufacturing While the role of the Pavilions has always been to share ideas, architectural concepts and new materials, it is currently the ideal field of application for experimenting with new structural forms through the convergence of tools related to computational design and digital fabrication with the aid of robotic manufacturing.