The design for the Croatian Pavilion for the 2020 World Expo in Dubai was judged runner-up in the national design competition. Croatian architecture firm Studio Putinja (based in Pazin, Croatia) invited Studio Memo to collaborate on the interior design: an ephemeral pneumatic landscape where walls, ceiling and furniture merge in a continuum of abstract, flowing form.
Interior of the pneumatic, tensile landscape.
Interior of the pneumatic, tensile landscape.
The concept of Croatia: Beyond Limits aims to connect cultural cornerstones from each of Croatia’s regions and to present these trough a design with an ambiguous transition between its exterior and interior. This is displayed through the use of contrasting materials and a green façade, as well as a rectilinear external grid and free-flowing interior landscape.
The tensile (pneumatic) interior landscape is bright, vibrant and dream-like. Its playfulness invites informal meetings. On a technical level, the translucent white membrane is divided in sections: some of which are exposed to a positive pressure (to create convex-curved surfaces) while others are under a negative pressure (to create concave-curved surfaces). They form soft, organic surfaces: blurring the distinction between floor, wall and ceiling, and inviting tactile interactions.
Merging the five primary landscapes of Croatia in a unified design approach.
Exterior of the pavilion, with the green façade.
Exterior of the pavilion, with the green façade.
Upper floor of the pavilion, with its functionality and adaptability.
Lower floor of the pavilion, with its pneumatic, tensile landscape and cross-sections.
Interior of the pneumatic, tensile landscape.
Interior of the pneumatic, tensile landscape.
Interior of the pneumatic, tensile landscape.
Project: Croatian Pavilion Expo 2020
Location: Dubai, UAE
Type: Public / Culture / Tensile Structure
Status: Design Competition - Second Place
Overall Design: Studio Putinja
Pneumatic Tensile CT: Studio Memo & Studio Putinja
Tensile Fabrication CT: Studio Memo & Carpro / Harry Buskes