Kuwait pavilion at Expo 2015 Milano

Theme "Challenge of Nature"

The Concept

The water, agriculture and energy are the biggest challenges that Kuwait is facing to ensure a better quality of life aligned with sustainability. Drinking water is a vital resource for this Country, being located at the junction between the Arabian Peninsula and Asia, with its geographical and environmental conditions that are characterized by arid soil and climate. In 1953, Kuwait built the first desalination plant in the world based on multi-stage flash (MSF) technology and now has seven plants producing 1.85 billion liters of water a day. The treatment plant at Sulaibiyah on the other hand, purifies 600,000 cubic meters of waste water, per day.

Agriculture is being developed mainly in three regions, focusing on the cultivation of palms and potatoes. Also, through the promotion of educational campaigns and other initiatives of various kinds, Kuwait is heavily involved in the field of food education. For its Energy, the third challenge, the Country is engaged in the pursuit of natural oil substitutes (solar and wind). Participation at Expo Milano 2015 provides an opportunity to acquaint visitors with the 2,790 square-meter pavilion, with both its big projects in these three areas and the results achieved through humanitarian contributions and international cooperation in transport, agriculture, water, irrigation, telecommunications, education and health.

The Pavilion Architecture

The development and implementation of the concept by Italo Rota was assigned by Nussli to Progetto Cmr founded by Massimo Roj. The pavilion offers a fascinating view of the territory of Kuwait, its culture, its human and natural resources in a State born from a desert where it has been able to create its own wealth. It is the desert that welcomes visitors, who after a long promenade arrive at the event area where they are immersed in landscapes recreated by 360 degree projection.

From the canyon where the water plays with the rocks, you arrive in the heart of the pavilion, a huge glass model which recounts the history of the area, taking visitors on a tour inside its "small fortress" (this is the meaning of the Arabic word from which Kuwait takes its name), from the different types of desert to the sea that washes the shores. Its highly scenic elements embody principles of recouping and saving natural energies. Surrounded by hydroponics outside (tomatoes, strawberries, salads), the largest space, used for dining and refreshment, is colored by the typical elements of the Arab souk and by a large central fire, allowing visitors to relax and enjoy the flavors of the Middle East.