Territoire imaginaire EXPO.02 Biel

The pavilion for the exhibition Territoire imaginaire finds its place on the mainland of the Arteplage Biel. Under the theme “Power and Freedom,” visitors guided from the main entrance along the exhibition elements lined up on both sides towards the lake basin. The pavilion itself accessed directly from the central axis, the exhibition hall lying embedded between old park trees. In contrast to the linear design of the main circulation, the volume remains perceptible from all sides.

The exhibition makes visions of the future accessible to a broad audience and already reflects this in the appearance of the pavilion. The project arises from the perception of the volume: interferences generate curiosity, as the image of the pavilion changes continuously. Is it a hologram, an illusion, or an irritation? The layered bodies and surfaces convey ethereal depths and shadow images, while spatial impressions transform into planimetric perceptions. Interference serves as a tool to amplify the power of the volume without losing the mediation of inner messages. The visitor moves across the exhibition grounds, with the appearance changing with each shift of position and varying daylight. At standstill, a static calm emerges, imprinted and frozen.

The volumetric placement of the pavilion gives spatial depth to the main axis. The building volume is not a flat backdrop on the street but allows views in and out of the exhibition interiors. The roof structure spans the building without columns and rests on the supporting outer facades, allowing the inner shell flexibly within the exhibition design. Movements and interferences arise in the interplay of the two shells; the vertical arrangement of open and closed elements intensifies the horizontal movement of the observer. An inclination of one shell by four degrees generates the desired interference effects.

The interplay of scale, rhythm, structural behavior, light, and color verified through simulations, models, and prototypes. Primary and secondary systems are thematically connected but separated in terms of construction, so that the exhibition can develop in parallel with the building project. The presence of the exhibition projects is intended on the facades. Through the independence of the primary structural system, the pavilion remains flexible for later conversions, with the expression of the building determined by this structure.

Client: Verband Schweizerischer Kantonalbanken, gsg Projekt Partner AG

Planning: Rossetti+Wyss Architekten, Lüchinger Meyer Partner AG, Amstein+Walthert AG

Photos: © Walter Mair, © Yves André, © Hannes Henz

Costs: CHF 9.5 Mio (Pavillon 2.3 Mio.)

Competition: 2001, 1. Prize