As Expo 2020 Dubai approaches its conclusion, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) has released the 2021-2022 edition of its Bulletin, entitled “World Expos – Architectural Labs.”
Featuring articles by world-renowned architects, academics and experts, the 2021-2022 edition of the BIE Bulletin tells the story of the ideas, the practice and the impact of architectural innovation at World Expos, citing numerous examples of structures — from the Crystal Palace at Expo 1851 London to the current Expo 2020 in Dubai — that keep on defining the built environment.
Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, the Secretary General of the BIE, indicated: “As testing grounds for new forms of architectural expression, Expos give architects and engineers the opportunity to push the boundaries of the possible, set in motion new trends, and bring new technologies to the fore. As millions of visitors marvel at the architectural wonders of Expo 2020 Dubai, the 2021/22 edition of the BIE Bulletin brings to the fore the experimental nature of Expo architecture and reveals its lasting contribution to the built environment.”
Each edition of the BIE Bulletin brings into focus a specific theme or issue arising from Expos, offering an array of expert viewpoints. The 2021-2022 edition examines the closely intertwined and fascinating relationship between Expos and architectural innovation, and the ways in which Expos foster new forms of structure, new materials and new techniques in the built environment.
Spanning 170 years of architectural experimentation at World Expos, the contributions to the BIE Bulletin 2021/22 include:
- World Expos and architectonic structures: an intimate relationship
Isaac López César, Professor of Physics and Structures, University of A Coruña, Spain - The conspiracy of Expo pavilions: What lies behind pavilion architecture at Expos?
Yutaka Hikosaka, Architect (JIA), Urbanist, President of Space Incubator Inc., Tokyo, Japan - World Expos as architectural laboratories for structural innovation
Bálint Kádár, Assistant Professor, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary - Beauty or rationality: What drives architectural innovations at World Expos?
Tomasz Krotowski, PhD Eng. Arch., Architecture Institute, Łódź University of Technology, Poland - Expo pavilions: the lasting impact of the ephemeral
Vega Méndez-Navia, PhD Architect, Higher Technical School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM), Spain - Demonstrating and questioning the laboratory of progress: Architecture at Expo 1958 Brussels
Rika Devos, Associate Professor in Architecture and Construction History, ULB, Belgium - Strategies against architecture: multisensory environments in temporary exhibition pavilions
Sven Sterken, Professor of Architecture, KU Leuven, Belgium - The architecture of the Space Needle: embodying Space Age aspirations
Knute Berger, Consulting historian, Space Needle - Imagining a city of the future: Architectural experimentation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and debate at Expo 1970 Osaka
William O. Gardner, Professor of Japanese, Swarthmore College, United States - The Vanke Pavilion at Expo 2015 Milan, a true joining of spirits
Studio Libeskind, Architecture studio - Designing Al Wasl, a new urban typology and the beating heart of Expo 2020 Dubai
Alejandro Stochetti, Director of Design, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture - Flying high: the design of the UAE pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
Calatrava International, Architects and Engineers