MILAN EXPO 2015

AGRICULTURE, NATURE, AND PEOPLE OF THAILAND
PAVILION
The honor of designing Thailand’s pavilion for the 2015 Milan Exposition
has officially been awarded to The Office of Bangkok Architects (OBA).
The firm’s winning design incorporates the Expo’s theme of “Feeding the
Planet, Energy for Life” with the agrarian and religious qualities that define
the Kingdom of Thailand. Located centrally on the Expo’s main avenue, the
pavilion will be adjacent to a canal that will be used as a part of the
exhibition, relating back to Bangkok’s informal title as the “Venice of Asia.”
The pavilion will emphasize the crucial aspect that water plays in Thai
agriculture in a number of ways. A depiction of Naga, the legendary water
snake from Thai mythology, will greet visitors at the beginning of the
pavilion’s walkway. This walkway will take visitors across a rice field that
has been planted in various stages of cultivation, displaying the founda tion
of agriculture in Thailand.
The entrance to the pavilion itself is a large wood-frame replica, the
traditional hat worn by farmers and vendors in Thailand. The most
prominent element of the pavilion, becomes a symbol of the country’s
agricultural identity. The pavilion building proper will be framed by a brick
wall modeled after the traditional walls of Thai temples. Sloped at the three
different angles and clad in a reflective surface, the wall will reflect the rice
fields of the pavilion, the visitors to the Expo, and the sky. In this way, the
wall will represent the agriculture, nature, and people of Thailand.