Slow Food showcases PEFC-certified wood at Expo 2015

30 September 2015 Sustainable construction

For those of you off to Milan this autumn for the World Expo 2015, look out for a traditional Lombardy farmhouse, where Slow Food meets PEFC.

At the far east of the Decumano—the mile-long path that cuts across the Expo site from east to west—next to the Mediterranean Hill planted with figs, citrus and olives, you’ll find the Slow Food space. Just a few steps from one of the main entrances, the area covers a 3,300-square-meter triangle.

The three structures, pared down to the essentials, evoke the typical farmhouses of Lombardy’s rural landscape. Sustainability has guided the choice of materials, with the buildings built from PEFC-certified larch wood from sustainably managed forests. The simple, light, long-lasting structures, built by timber construction specialists Rubner, have a low environmental impact, harmonizing perfectly with their contents.

The area has been designed by Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, one of the world’s most prestigious architecture studios, responsible for London’s Tate Modern and Beijing’s National Stadium.

When the event ends, the buildings will be taken apart, moved and used elsewhere. This is the company’s response to one of the big questions hanging over the future of the exhibition site. The Slow Food area will not be an encumbrance on the land, and nor will it be wasted.

The destiny of the structures and the installation will be decided during Expo’s six months, with anyone who wants to offer ideas of how to use them invited to do so. The final decision will be announced before 30 September 2015.