Theme Pavilion
The Theme Pavilion is a major and permanent landmark building for Expo 2012 in South Korea. The design proposal was selected as the first-prize winner in an open international architecture competition. The aim of the design was not to visually represent the Expo 2012 theme, “The Living Ocean and Coast,” but to implement its agenda, namely the responsible use of natural resources through a sustainable climate design and the biomimetic principle of the kinetic facade.
The biomimetic research and expertise in kinematics of Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, who joined the planning team right after the competition, enabled a technical solution that could fulfill the architectural intentions as well as respond to the constraints of the site. The development of the biomimetic principle was further enriched by scientific research carried out at the ITKE Institute at the University Stuttgart.
The history of Expo is a story of architectural innovation fueled by scientific and technological novelties. Yet recent Expos have turned into shows of “edutainment,” taking place in often faceless pavilions that do not live up to this former spirit. The Theme Pavilion ties back to its more innovative predecessors, and synergistically combines investigative architecture with innovative technologies and scientific research. As a showcase, the Theme Pavilion combines advanced architectural design with the expertise of kinematics and climate engineering. Furthermore, the pavilion will outlive the Expo and become a new landmark for Yeosu, attracting tourists to visit this remote city in South Korea.
Convertible systems in architecture are usually based on the combination of stiff elements or soft textiles connected with hinges. New construction materials such as fiber-reinforced polymers allow large and reversible elastic deformations and enable us to think about a completely new interpretation of convertible structures. In nature, plants have evolved a multitude of kinetics based on elastic deformation without any hinges to serve the opening and closing of flowers, leaf orientations, etc. Some of these kinetic principles may be used as concept generators for technical applications.
The design process of the biomimetic facade of the Theme Pavilion of Expo 2012 in Yeosu serves as a model for advanced biomimetic research, development, and design — from selection and investigation of plant movements to several levels of abstraction until a feasible technical solution was developed, which transforms the architectural vision of an adaptive and smoothly swaying facade into built reality.
A substantial part of the design process was to develop a climate design that takes advantage of the building‘s layout and spatial characteristics. The sustainability strategy for the Theme Pavilion is firstly based on energy saving as well as heating and cooling load reduction. The following measurements were taken:
• Optimized shading of kinetic media facade and building configuration
• Natural ventilation of main building areas in intermediate season
• Efficient recovery of sensible and latent heat in hybrid mechanical ventilation system
Furthermore, the climate concept by Transsolar foresaw the efficient use of non-renewable energy as well as minimized energy consumption by the following strategies:
• Displacement ventilation and radiant heating and cooling systems
• Use of thermal stratification in all high volume/high occupancy areas
• High performance heat pump/turbo chiller system
As a third step, the use of renewable energy was incorporated with the intention to substitute the building’s consumed energy balanced over a year:
• Use of sea water heat exchangers as a renewable heating and cooling source
• Solar electricity generation by roof-integrated photovoltaic panels
The Theme Pavilion’s innovative and investigative approach led to a world novelty that will outlive Expo 2012 and become a showcase for future architecture. Nevertheless, the technologies used are known and tested. Therefore, the application of certain features and spatial characteristics to other projects is possible.
The Theme Pavilion wants to bring forward the ecological agenda by providing triggering spatial experiences. It combines the sensation with the sensational, and turns the topic of sustainability into an emotional experience. In this way, architecture can help to fundamentally anchor the theme of sustainability in people’s minds.
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