Case Studies

Looking at the model of architecture designed by Giampaolo Imbrighi for the Italian Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010, the idea is that of an urban fabric. Conceptually, functionally, and aesthetically. The pavilion is a metaphor for the topographical complexity of Italian cities and of the analogy between the compositional complexity of multiple buildings combined into a single pure volume, typical of a succession of Italian streets and squares and the fabric of ancient Chinese cities. The Shanghai Universal Expo counts 5.28 Km2 of exhibition space spread along the banks of the Hangpu river and will be the exploration tool for urban life in the 21st century, according to the “better city, better life” theme summed up by the Italian Pavilion with a model of human cities able to combine innovation and conservation of the historical substance in symbiosis with the land.

In another way, if you look at the Italian Pavilion model a layered vision of a sectioned material emerges, that beyond representing the diversity of Italy, is emblematic of the contrast between transparency and non-transparency in all of its nuances. The Italian excellence relative to the quality of life in urban areas translates the concept of innovative excellence on the side of eco-sustainable constructive techniques up to designing a bioclimatic machine-building square of 3,600m2 and a height of 18m, the heart of which is represented by the atrium system: in terms of microclimate, the atrium is the acclimation transition area with respect to other better air-conditioned spaces. The full height glazed volume, together with functional sections cut in the form, actual wind tunnels, working with an automatically regulated system of automatic warm air extraction to create a comfortable environment. Transparency is given by glass panes formed by safety units joined with high strength structural silicon; the surface facing the room is treated with a transparent metal oxide deposit that gives solar radiation control properties, maximizing the brightness of the structure and drastically reducing internal overheating. The panes are mechanically fastened in profile with aluminum inserted in the steel structures that make up the pavilion’s architecture.

The translucent surfaces are accomplishments of the Italcementi Research Center and of the Università degli Studi della Sapienza in Rome who have experimented with “transparent conglomerate”. The 3,774 500×1.0x50mm panels with an approximate degree of transparency ranges from 20% until 80% of its surface are made with 189 tons of “transparent cement” and cover an area of 1,887m2, about 40% of the Pavilion, creating a sequence of light and shadow in progress throughout the day. The mixture used has the characteristics and fluidity needed to secure resin in the panels, which allow the optic transmission of light and of the images without compromising the insulative properties and strength typical of cement-based material. The resins are selected polymers that interacting with the artificial as well as natural light, create a warm and soft light inside the building and picture of light clarity from the outside. The researchers have therefore identified the correct formulation of a premixture that keeps the plastic resins within the cementitious material, by its opaque nature, without creating cracks and compromising the structure.