Expo 2015: French Pavilion dresses in PEFC-certified wood!

10 September 2015 Sustainable construction

PEFC-certified wood is in the spotlight at the World Expo in Milan as France chooses to construct the French Pavilion from wood originating in PEFC-certified French forests.

This 2000 cubic meter, 12 meter high building, designed by the architectural agency X-TU, is the French response to the theme of Milano 2015: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. Over the six months of the World Expo, this living space will present French agriculture and gastronomy to the world.

Complex and graphic, the pavilion is constructed from glulam, or glue laminated timber, equating to 2,000 pieces of larch and spruce from the sustainably managed and PEFC-certified forests of Franche-Comté. The sawmills and timber construction companies involved in the construction of the pavilion have all achieved PEFC certification.

“The pavilion illustrates our expertise in wood construction while also promoting the sustainable management of French forests,” said Christian Balanche, Director of Simonin, the company responsible for the construction and installment of the building structure.

“This building is innovative: these 2,000 pieces of wood, both straight and curved, are connected by an invisible assembly system developed by the company. With a floor area of 55 by 35 meters, the structure is designed to be disassembled,” Mr. Balanche highlighted.

The environmental impact of the building has been integrated right from the start of the project: choosing local and PEFC-certified wood, low energy consumption, natural ventilation and cooling, etc. The pavilion will also have a second life as it will be rebuilt in France following the Expo.

“France is a pioneer in the sustainable management of forests and here at PEFC we are extremely pleased that our certification will be promoted at this World Expo which will welcome more than 25 million visitors,” concluded Stéphane Marchesi, Secretary General of PEFC France.

PEFC at Milano 2015

The French Pavilion is not the only installation to choose PEFC-certified wood:

• The Colombian, Irish, Malaysian and Save the Children pavilions are all built with PEFC-certified wood;
• As is the Slow Food Theatre and the urban furniture and flower boxes at the Fruit and Cereals Cluster;
• At the Belgian pavilion, the structures of the sandwich panels, the walls, the floors and OSB boards are all PEFC-certified;
• By the canal, visitors can walk along a 1km path made from PEFC-certified wood; and
• An impressive 5km of wooden fences are made from PEFC-certified larch.

In fact, at this moment we know that 60% of the EXPO material is wood, and much of it PEFC-certified!