| Austria Pavilion |
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Photos courtesy of Maria Ziegelböck and Matias del Campo.
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| Fabrication: Alpine Mayreder Construction Co. |
Design:
Span & Zeytinoglu Architects |
| Client: EXPO Office Austria |
Size: 7,306 square feet |
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Exterior Design: Looking more like a microscopic organism magnified a million-fold than a manufactured object, the Austrian pavilion is made of nearly 10 million hexagonal tiles connected by a staggering 60 million joints. Its smooth crimson and cream surface not only reflects Austria’s national colors, but the sleek white porcelain China exported to Europe over the last few centuries, and the bright red hue that the Chinese believe signifies joy and luck.
Pavilion Summary: Composed of five exhibition areas representing Austria’s varied geogaphy — mountains, forests, grasslands, rivers, and urban landscapes — the pavilion uses 64 projectors and more than 1 million slides to transport guests from Shanghai to the land of Mozart and meadows. Visitors start along a path that takes them first to the mountain zone, where they encounter near-freezing temperatures and real snow they can touch, accompanied by an acoustic ambiance of breaking ice and roaring avalanches. Their tour continues into the mountainous Austrian woods and grasslands, a verdant area scented with pine and spruce trees, where leaves rustle, birds chirp, and virtual squirrels and deer approach via lifelike projections on the pavilion’s surfaces. After their idyll in nature, the visitors’ trek ends in the capital city of Vienna, where more elaborate projections of urban traffic appear on the walls alongside images of cars gliding to the tempo of waltzes, building cranes dancing to the music of Mozart, and people boogieing to the strains of Falco.
Throughout the guests’ journey, large-scale panoramas of Austrian landscape are displayed on the pavilion walls, floor, and ceiling, while short video clips supplement the imagery with information on the country’s environment and economy. Attendees also find themselves regaled by a musical genius, a beautiful princess, and a sports star: video projections bring to life Mozart spinning stories of composing music; "Princess Sissi," recounting her life as a member of 19th century royalty; and Chinese soccer star Sun Xiang discussing what it’s like to play in the Austrian League.
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