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Denmark Pavilion

Entitled “Denmark/Horizon,” the Danish Pavilion at Expo 2012 surrounds visitors with images of the Danish seas and coasts, and tells the story of how people in Denmark have broadened their horizon and found ways to exploit water, wind, and creativity as resources.

Based on Denmark’s dependency on and living by the sea, the content of the exhibition discusses and displays solutions and technologies related to the necessity of transforming a fossil energy based economic structure to one that will minimize potential damage to both humanity and nature.

The overall Expo 2012 theme of “The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities,” is thus reflected in exhibits related to sustainable energy sources and modes of transportation, as well as innovative and sustainable use of our water resources, including creativity and innovation.

The Denmark Pavilion focuses on a number of powerful expressive displays throughout a varied exhibition that employs strong and simple means of communication. Through these displays, visitors are invited to come and explore their creativity, build tomorrow’s solutions for today’s challenges, see how much energy can be created through wind power, witness the greatness of the largest container ship in the world, and learn how modern technology can create cleaner tap water.

The simplicity of the pavilion’s white façade, only adorned by the outline of a wave, is discreetly illustrating a horizon and the pavilion logo. In contrast, the entrance is dark and thus intrigues the visitors to enter and have a closer look at the pavilion.

When entering the exhibition, visitors are introduced to five exhibition walls, each with their own theme, messages, and story. First, a circular, backlit wall is covered with intuitive graphics containing historical timelines, as well as facts and key messages about Denmark. There, visitors see how Denmark is transitioning into a green growth economy and working toward becoming entirely fossil fuel independent by 2050.

Creativity and innovation are preconditions for solving present and future challenges in a sustainable manner, and they are also the attributes that have shaped Denmark into a forward-thinking nation. Through play, we create development. Through play, we create innovation. These are abilities that successful generations must master.

The wall of creativity is about engaging visitors in the exhibition, inviting them to play, build, and create. The wall consists of small niches to be explored, where visitors of all ages — children and adults alike — can play with Lego bricks and explore their creativity

Stepping aboard a small ship at one end of the wall, visitors are greeted by a tall wave, lit by vibrant lighting and accompanied by subtle sound effects. The wave is a reproduction of the waves of the impressive North Sea, and it is build with 685,810 Lego bricks and is 361.9 cm high, 187.2 cm wide, and 323.2 cm deep.

For many years, Denmark has been a pioneer in the field of innovative wind solutions and a front-runner within both onshore and offshore wind energy. So at the wall of Wind Energy, visitors get the chance to explore the possibilities of wind energy for themselves. By blowing on small interactive wind turbines, they will experience that they are able to generate enough power to light the city of Yeosu. When all 10 wind turbines are active, the city is engulfed in fireworks.

The ocean is where everything started. For Denmark, with 135 meters of coastline per capita, the sea is a tremendous resource. Over a thousand years ago Danes began to travel, discover, and trade with the world, setting a clear imprint on the world map through their seafaring ancestors. The Danish people made the world smaller by expanding their horizon.

From the Vikings to present day, the sea remains an important natural resource. Today, Denmark is one of the world’s leading shipping nations, and Danish industries handle 10 percent of all shipping in the world. At the same time, Denmark is a pioneer within sustainable and energy-efficient shipping, and the goal is to keep doing more.

At the wall of Ocean Transportation, a large world map marks the ocean transport routes that the Danish merchant fleet is responsible for. Through info-graphic messages, visitors see the perspectives of Denmark’s global shipping ventures, learn about energy-efficient shipbuilding, and experience the enormous size of container ships on a human scale.

Finally, the Water Bar is all about water. Water is a vital precondition of all forms of life, but clean drinking water is a scarce resource in the world. And yet, the global water consumption is steadily increasing at more than twice the rate of the population. The average Korean, for instance, consumes close to 1,600 m³ of water per year, the same as the average Dane.

The Water Bar conveys the message to all visitors about how small changes in daily habits can make a difference. The use of plastic water bottles increases CO2 emission and is harmful to the environment. By replacing plastic bottles with refillable bottles, people can make an active contribution to reduce the carbon imprint. At the Water Bar, visitors have the opportunity to buy a refillable eco-friendly bottle, a Danish designed product made of 20-percent recycled glass. Through the eco-friendly bottle, visitors are encouraged to re-think their habits, re-tap, and reduce CO². It serves as a reminder of the importance of taking an active part in protecting the environment. In addition, the bottles make for a characteristic and decorative element in the exhibition, as the inner wall of the Water Bar is completely covered by water-filled bottles that capture and reflect the lights of the pavilion.

The pavilion experience culminates inside a circular movie theatre placed as a glowing circle in the centre of the exhibition area. Stepping into the theatre, visitors are surrounded by a 5-meter-tall 360-degree projection screen showing sequences from select places along Denmark’s coasts and seas. Each film sequence and horizon represents a theme or a narrative. They show the physical consequences and qualities of the choices Danes have taken, including how they live and work by the sea and the coasts.

For Denmark, sustainability is neither a philosophical or politically correct concept. Instead, sustainability and the search for new solutions — coupled with courage, knowledge, and creativity — have become the foundation on which the nation is built. It’s about thinking differently and broadening one’s own horizon to make the most out of the few resources available. It’s a foundation that is in constant flux and creates jobs, ensures prosperity, and builds successful global businesses.