Unprecedented dimensions for the Web bookcase inside the Vanke pavilion
“For the first time ever in the 163-year history of Universal Exhibitions, a Chinese company has a pavilion all to itself: Vanke, a Chinese multinational leader in the real estate market, presents its project for Expo Milano 2015.
Established in 1984, Vanke is the largest Chinese real estate company and it is listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange. With a turnover as at March 2014 of 2.3 billion Dollars, Vanke supplies over half a million dwellings and management services to 1.5 million Chinese people.
Inside the Vanke pavilion, designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind, a Chinese tale in the form of a “Virtual forest” will be narrated to the world: this unique space comprising approximately 300 screens installed in an irregular pattern where a short film lasting 8-10 minutes will be projected, depicting moments in the life of Chinese communities, emphasising the fundamental role played by the Shitang in everyday life. There will also be ample opportunity to meet and exchange ideas within the area dedicated to partners and furnished with Web bookcases designed by Daniel Libeskind for Poliform .
WEB is the perfect portrait of modern life.Just like the Internet allows users to browse and use a collection of contents which are connected to each other by links, WEB – with its alternating blocks and voids – presents a brand new bookcase concept with a strong visual impact and devised for the most disparate uses.A unique item of interior décor, made entirely of Dupont Corian, which goes way beyond its natural fun-ction of storing books. The expression of a styling and functional research to interpret contemporary living.
In the design of the Vanke Pavilion, Daniel Libeskind drew his inspiration from a series of concepts that range from the ancient thoughts of Confucio and Lao Tzu, to Renaissance and contemporary art. Architecturally, the sinuous geometric shapes and a continuous sense of flow from the inside out accompany visitors along a journey in space and time, tradition, values and human relations. It is a unique place to celebrate and reflect on the history of civilization, technology and the 21st Century.
The pavilion cladding comprises 3D slabs of enamelled porcelain stoneware in an evocative lacquer red. This shade is a specially formulated colour which was devised specifically for this project in the tintometric laboratory of Casalgrande Padana. The ceramic material implemented for the Vanke pavilion comes from the Fractile range, also designed by Libeskind”
