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GS Caltex Pavilion

At Expo 2012, the corporate pavilion for GS Caltex (a Korean oil corporation established in 1967, which covers more than a third of Korean oil requirements) illustrates the company's mission and its visions for the future. It offers visionary spaces that give three-dimensional expression to the idea of energy in harmony with nature.

The pavilion´s architecture is presented as a dynamic ensemble which, at first glance, is reminiscent of an oversized rice field. Fifty-nine feet high, so-called blades sway like grass in the wind, whereby their continuous motion symbolizes the never-ending flow of energy in nature. The fascination of photosynthesis and the fragility of nature are expressed by this Energy Field, consisting of the highest translucent Fiberglas blades ever realized.

When darkness falls, the 380 blades shine brightly into the night. LED strips within the blades (14 in each blade) are programmed to simulate modes of weather conditions. Touching some of the individual blades activates and initiates pulses that spread out in the shape of waves over the entire Energy Field. The metaphor is that energy is created for us and by us. By engaging with our curiosity, we can control the choreography.

Each visitor individually explores the site, which is around 6,400 square feet in size, containing a centrally located star-shaped pavilion building. The actual pavilion is almost invisible and dissolves in the surrounding Energy Field. This effect is achieved as the facades are completely covered with mirrors reflecting the sea, the sky, and the blades. The Energy Field appears to stretch into infinity. The building itself is shaped like a star, symbolizing the sun as our basic source of all energy. It is comparable to an Energy Flash.

Via raised corners of the star, the visitor gains access to the also mirrored, rain-protected waiting area beneath the pavilion. Moving from a mostly individual experience within the blades, visitors now find themselves in a poly-angled mirror-hall where their images are multiplied infinitely – emphasizing a more collective experience. Prismatic refractions encourage this collective spatial experience of social networking without any hint of scale whatsoever.

The architects are neither presenting to the visitors a formalistic architecture, nor showing the obvious — the cliché image of what an oil company produces: oil and its various forms. They want to make the audience feel what the essence of oil is: energy.

The architecture does not teach the visitors about energy, but lets them discover the power of energy through immersive experiences. The visitors are confronted with an engaging interactive experience that will provoke their curiosity and invite them to wander around and to explore.

Using engaging spaces, the architects provoke the audience to feel a sense of responsibility and awareness for our natural resources and the demanding engagement of civilization. The design of the pavilion emphasizes that GS Caltex does more than provide energy, but is also taking responsibility for local and global environments.