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Expo Milano 2015

The BIE Day (Bureau International des Expositions): all the successes of Expo Milano 2015. Pavilions awarded prizes for architecture, contents and displays, and their developments of – and relevance to – the Expo Theme

Featured on Expo Milano 2015, 2015/10/31

The BIE Day (Bureau International des Expositions): all the successes of Expo Milano 2015. Pavilions awarded prizes for architecture, contents and displays, and their developments of – and relevance to – the Expo Theme
An event where pride in Italian achievement was the order of the day

On this occasion, the authorities looked back over all the phases – from the very first round table discussions to the conclusion of the entire Milan Universal Exposition experience, focusing on its successes and the goals it has achieved. “Over the arc of the six months of this Expo”, declared Pasquino, “the whirl of events which have taken place have highlighted Italy’s value and potentiality. An opportunity and a challenge which our nation has generated, despite initial criticism and pessimism, and which should not be easily forgotten.” “Milan does not represent a turning point”, concluded Bruno Antonio Pasquino, and Italy will not be transformed by Expo Milano 2015, but the varied and truly extraordinary successes it has achieved will make us forever proud to be Italian.” Ferdinand Nagy focused on the values of solidarity and cooperation which Expo Milano has done so much to promote… “One day before the end of the Expo, I’d like to take advantage of this moment to remind everyone about all the cooperation projects which have been presented here over the last six months. With the support of governments, the intervention programs have interwoven with multicultural actions and with the challenges expressed by the Theme of Expo Milano 2015, touching the hearts of everyone and transmitting a shared sentiment of solidarity.”

A shared home at the center of Europe

The speech delivered from the stage of the Expo Center by Giuseppe Sala constituted the heart of the entire ceremony: the Chief Commissioner shared items from his “personal diaries”, describing the preparatory phases and the most significant events which have contributed to the success of this Universal Exposition. “A shared home at the center of Europe”, Sala described Expo Milano 2015, “a reason to be proud, and to commit to the future, for the incredible number of people who visited the Expo site, including 62 Heads of State, over 260 Ministers and over 20 million visitors.” “We have seen the way that this community has grown”, continued Sala, “around the Theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, promoted and received by citizens from all over the world as a universal theme with which to energize the battle against hunger worldwide. This is perhaps the most important of all Expo Milano 2015’s legacies.” Vicente Gonzales Loscertales expressed agreement with Sala’s views, declaring that “the Milan Universal Exposition has transmitted to millions of citizens the enthusiasm and the values which have contributed to making this international stage a work-table around which solutions to the most important global issues have been discussed.” The official ceremonies for celebrating BIE Day concluded with the a performance from the stage of the Expo Centre by the musicians of the Academy of Santa Cecilia and other performances by artists from the countries that will be hosting the upcoming Expositions: Antalya in 2016, Astana in 2017 and Dubai in 2020.

The awards for the best Pavilions of Expo Milano 2015

At the end of the day, the Pavilions were divided into three groups according to size: under 2 thousand square meters, over 2 thousand square meters, and situated in Clusters. The prizes were announced and conferred in the presence of the BIE Secretary General and President, i.e. Vicente Loscertales and Ferdinand Nagy, with prizes for three categories: architecture and landscape, contents and display, and Theme development.

Pavilions under 2 thousand square meters

In this section, for the architecture and landscape category the Gold Medal went to the United Kingdom, followed by Chile and the Czech Republic. For content and display, first prize for Austria – “for the audacity of the sensorial experience offered to visitors” – followed by Iran and then Estonia. In the Theme development category, Gold went to the Holy See, followed by the Principality of Monaco and Ireland.

Pavilions over 2 thousand square meters

In this section, the best architecture and landscape category went to the French Pavilion, which the BIE praised for “the innovative concept of a covered food market and a lively and open landscape”, followed by Bahrein and China. The best display prize went to Japan, thanks to its “harmonious combination between the representation of nature and technological innovation”, followed by the Republic of Korea and Russia. Germany was adjudged to have best developed the Expo Theme, followed by Angola and Kazakhstan.

The Cluster Pavilions and the institutional medals

Montenegro, Venezuela and Gabon won the first three prizes in the content and display category, and Algeria, Cambodia and Mauritania the awards for best Theme development. BIE Gold Medals were awarded to the Italian Government, represented by Commissioner Bruno Antonio Pasquino, to the Expo 2015 Company, represented by Diana Bracco, to the Lombardy Regional Government, in the person of its President, Roberto Maroni, and to the City of Milan, represented by its Mayor Giuliano Pisapia. The Steering Committee of Pavilion Commissioner Generals was also awarded a Gold Medal, received by Albina Assis Africano, as was WE – Women for Expo, represented by Emma Bonino. Silver Medals were awarded to the Expo Milano 2015 Volunteers, the Italian Order of Journalists and the Civil Society Associations.

Expo Milano 2015
DIVERSITY, Japan Pavilion, Expo Milano 2015
HARMONY, Japan Pavilion, Expo Milano 2015