Fields of tomorrow – Israel Pavilion

Expo 2015 Milan, Italy

Winning entry

Theme: “Feeding the planet – Energy of life”
Program: visual experience of agricultural and engineering performance
Client: Israel ministry of foreign affairs
Area: 2,000 sqm
Status: Completed 2015
Publications

Israel Pavilion Expo 2015

Israel is an agricultural laboratory and a worldwide case study that exports knowledge, experience, and technology to the entire world:  The cultivation of rocky land, the growth of vegetables in the desert, the invention of new methods of irrigation , the upgrading of seed quality are part of the inception of modern agriculture marked by creativity, dare, and achievements.

The 2015 Milan Expo­ theme – “Feeding the Planet – Energy for life”  provides a unique opportunity to present those achievements. The pavilion presents a valuable knowledge base and showcases the technology that is being used today, worldwide, in order to fight challenges such as hunger and poverty and to spread prosperity and stability in developing countries.

The Israeli pavilion, under the title” The Fields of Tomorrow”, creates an immediate and powerful visual experience of agricultural and engineering performance.

The vertical field provides a fresh and unique perspective on how food is produced and supplied in the world. The field is comprised of modular tiles utilized for cultivating agricultural products on a steel frame elevated above the ground. The tiles contain a computer-controlled watering-drip system for optimal crop cultivation and growth. The field will consist of cereal varieties and other basic foodstuffs that will offer a wide variety of products that will produce a mosaic of textures, smells, and colors.

The building relates to its special location at the center of the park, directly opposite the Italian pavilion, adjacent to the Cardo and Decumanus,  and offers a walk along its façade as part of the visitor experience.

The Pavil­ion exhibition will present a vir­tual tour of Israel, presenting the suc­cess, inno­va­tion and tech­nol­ogy that the Israeli scientists and farmers acquired in the agri­cul­tural sec­tor.

General information
Total lot area : 2370 sqm
Total pavilion area – 995 sqm
Vertical field size – 68 m long X 12.4 m high
Expected daily number of visitors – 12,600
Expected total number of visitors – 2,000,000

Credits
Client – Israel ministry of foreign affairs, in cooperation with the ministry of finance, ministry of tourism, ministry of economy, ministry of agriculture & rural development and Keren Kayemet Leisrael
Architecture and general planning: Knafo Klimor Architects
Content concept, exhibition and media: AVS Avant Video Systems
Project management : AVS Avant Video Systems
Structural engineer : Rokach Ashkenazi Engineering Consultant
Energy & systems : Avner Vishkin engineers
Electricity : Rafi Cohen Engineers
Plantation & Vertical fields concept : Green Wall Israel
Local architect & coordination : PRR Architetti
Local Structural engineer : Engineering project
Local systems & fire fighting engineer : Rampoldi Progetti
Local safety engineer : Studio La Viola