GS Caltex Pavilion

The incredibly tall thin blades creating a field around the GS Caltex pavilion at Expo Korea were fabricated out of fiberglass. Their flexibility allows them to move in the wind, and their translucency, coupled with dynamic lighting, creates a glowing, ever-changing facade, drawing visitors in to the star shaped center pavilion the field conceals.

From the creators at Atelier Bruckner:

“Symbol of energy: At the Expo Korea the corporate pavilion of GS Caltex, a Korean oil corporation, illustrates the company’s mission and its visions for the future. The pavilion architecture is presented as a dynamic ensemble which, at first glance, is reminiscent of an outsized rice field. Eighteen metres high, so-called blades sway like grass in the wind. Touching activates individual sensitive blades and illuminates them. A centrally located star-shaped, mirrored pavilion building is optically withdrawn in its entirety. Via raised corners of the star, the visitor can gain access to the also mirrored entrance area on the ground floor. The centre of the pavilion is on the upper floor; a seven-metre-high round room with panoramic projection. Poetic images in a reduced black-and-white aesthetic convey the company’s readiness to assume responsibility with regard to sustainable energy concepts.”

Awarding Authority: Peopleworks Promotion Co. Ltd. (PW), Seoul, Korea

Site area: 1960 m2

Planning: General planning, architecture and scenography

Main Show structural design: Knippers Helbig

Suttgart Media planning: medien project p2 GMBH

Stuttgart Production main show: Tamschick media + space

Berlin sound main show: BLUWI, Hamburg

Photography: Nils Clauss, Michel Casertano