UK Pavilion “Leaks” – Expo Milan 2015

Although the UK Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan can be considered sort of “everybody’s darling”, since it seems to be a pavilion upon which all websites agree as being one of the best, behind one of the most popular photos by photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu is documenting a simple design mistake – the drainage is either missing or not able to handle a light summer rain. The water needs to be wiped outside the edge, dropping randomly towards the ground-floor.

Courtesy of Laurian Ghinitoiu

Courtesy of Laurian Ghinitoiu

On the opening day (1st of May) the visitors had to stay in line and waiting the rain to stop, in order to wipe the floor and get permission to enter inside the pavilion, since a thin layer of water was covering the glass floor, creating a very slippery surface. Although this may seem like a minor technicality, it could be a potential nightmare for the organizers – someone could be getting injured due to such a problem.

Courtesy of Laurian Ghinitoiu

Courtesy of Laurian Ghinitoiu

However, the pavilion is still one of my personal favorites, with its unique aesthetic approach and original concept, while determining me to ask – are design and execution mistakes things we should overlook in the spirit of greater architecture, or should we be more aware of every detail of our concepts?

By: Lidia Ratoi