The Slovenian forested Expo pavilion is in the shadow of a giant wooden umbrella
(CNN) – Near one of the three entrances to the Dubai World Expo, where more than 190 countries exhibit their cultural heritage and the latest technological innovations, is Slovenia’s “floating green oasis”. The state pavilion is meant to be a symbol of a technology-oriented sustainable future. Slovenia is a country rich in the woods, rivers, lakes and freshwater springs – and the design of his pavilion is based on that.
Located in the Sustainability District, the pavilion is surrounded by water that cools the air in Dubai’s hot desert climate. Above the water, which stretches from the outside of the first floor, a forest facade 45,000 live plants creates a sense of tree canopy.
The greenery is made from local vegetation and planted in wet insulation boards that protect against heat, according to Magnet Design, the company that designed the pavilion’s “green and smart experience”. The combination of plants, water and wood creates its own microclimate.
Around 60% Slovenia is covered with forests, and wood has been an important part of the country’s economy for centuries. Entrepreneurs lived in the southern Slovenian town of Ribnica 400 years ago, designing and exporting traditional tools with a wooden edge for sowing flour, such as the Ribnica sieve, 400 years ago. The main architect of the pavilion, Robert Klun, is from Ribnica, and in honor of the history of the pavilion, there is a wooden umbrella at the top, reminiscent of a sieve.
“Our idea was to point out that we respect what Slovenia is today,” says Janez Škrabec, Ribnica-born director of Rika, the engineering company behind the pavilion. “That we respect our nature, that we respect our history, our culture, and that we are, on the other hand, a very modern nation that cares about our climate, that cares about the environment and that we want to improve the world.”