Ecuador Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015

A three-story pavilion which will tell to the world about Ecuador, in 800 square meters. A facade rich in colors, metaphor of the philosophy of "Buen Vivir" or "sumak kawsay" (in Quechua,) the ground floor dedicated to welcome visitors with a space for a restaurant and a shop where to find the best Ecuadorians products and materials, the first floor will be an immersive museography will serve as a window on the country and will allow visitors to discover landscapes and unique products, finally, on the top floor there will be sales offices and spaces reserved for business meetings.

The self-built pavilion of Ecuador was unveiled today at the Four Seasons in Milan, in the presence of the Ambassador of Ecuador in Italy, Juan Holguín Flores, the General Commissioner of the Pavilion and general manager of the business offices Pro Ecuador in Italy, Dr. Fernando Moreno and the Ecuador Delegation for EXPO 2015, Ana Alban and Edgar Brito.

"For the Universal Exhibition in Milan, for the first time, the country has decided to be a player with its own pavilion in line with the official theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" - said the Ambassador of Ecuador in Italy, Juan Holguín Flores - "the exhibition theme is Discover ouR-Evolution and develops along four cornerstones: a mega-diverse and multicultural country; a country rich in history and, at the same time, projected into the future, which made it a competitive country in the export first of high quality raw materials and then also of finished products; a privileged geographical location - at the intersection of the equator line and the Cordilllera of the Andes, which makes it the country with the highest concentration of biodiversity per km2 - all elements that put the country at the center of the world and as an emblem of natural evolution." The Ambassador continues: "A country that believes and invests more and more in the human factor and that, in recent years, has been attracting a growing number of national and foreign experts, especially in the field of bio-knowledge. In Ecuador four different worlds coexist very close to each other, including both natural and man-made World heritage sites recognized by UNESCO. For example, the capital, Quito, was the first city to be named a World Heritage Site, along with Krakow, in 1978. The policy that leads the country in recent years aims at achieving the "buen vivir" based on the concepts of social equity and sustainability." He concludes: "There are many positive results achieved in this regard, so that in recent years Ecuador is increasingly emerging as a "land of opportunity.'"

The exhibition space has been created to offer visitors a complete experience that gives the opportunity to immerse themselves in the richness of Ecuadorian landscapes and promote the culture of the good life while respecting the environment and biodiversity. Thus, on both the museological and the commercial level as well as in terms of the activities program, the visit to the Pavilion constructs around the evolutionary line which over the years has given to Ecuador its unparalleled biodiversity. It is done under the point of view of its sustainable development in a harmonious association of past and future.

The museography is the most encompassing and interactive space of the building. In a dark room, preceded by a large map of Ecuador, there will be projections of four major films from the four major regions of the country : the Amazon, Andes, Coast and Galapagos. The gastronomic products of Ecuador will be presented thanks to the last generation holograms in 3D. In a magical atmosphere, the products will float suspended in the room while an odorama system will reproduce their scents.

For the six months of the Expo, the Ecuador pavilion will have its testimonial: Boobie, a mascot inspired by a Blue-footed Booby bird (Sula,) a unique species from the Galapagos that perfectly summarizes the concepts of evolution and sustainable development that Ecuador wants to convey to the world.

The project for the participation of Ecuador in the Expo in Milan was supported by a consortium of international companies: Leagas Delaney Italy for the part of communication, events and press office, Zorrozua y Asociados for the architectural design of the Pavilion, Eurostands for the realization and set up, and Uvet for the recruitment and management of staff, in coordination with the Delegation of Ecuador for EXPO 2015 based in Quito

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Un padiglione alto tre piani che in 800 mq racconterà l'Ecuador al mondo. Una facciata ricca di colori, metafora della filosofia del “Buen Vivir” o “Sumak Kawsay” (in lingua Quechua), il piano terra dedicato all'accoglienza dei visitatori con uno spazio di ristorazione e un negozio dove trovare i migliori prodotti manifatturieri ecuadoriani, al primo piano una museografia immersiva farà da finestra sul Paese e permetterà ai visitatori di scoprire paesaggi e prodotti unici, infine, nel piano più alto saranno presenti gli uffici commerciali e gli spazi riservati ai business meeting.

Lo spazio espositivo è stato creato per offrire ai visitatori un'esperienza totale che dia la possibilità di calarsi nella ricchezza di paesaggi ecuadoriani e promuovere la cultura del “Buen Vivir” nel rispetto dell'ambiente e della biodiversità. Così, la visita del Padiglione, sia nella parte museografica sia in quella commerciale e il programma delle attività saranno all'insegna della linea evolutiva, che negli anni ha regalato all'Ecuador di una biodiversità unica al mondo, e nella visione del suo sviluppo sostenibile in un connubio armonioso tra passato e futuro.

La museografia sarò lo spazio maggiormente immersivo e interattivo dell'edificio. In una sala oscura, preceduta da una grande mappa dell'Ecuador, saranno presenti quattro grandi proiezioni dedicate alle quattro grandi regioni del Paese: Amazzonia, Ande, Costa e Galapagos. Grazie a degli ologrammi in 3d di ultima generazione saranno presentati i prodotti gastronomici dell'Ecuador. In un'atmosfera magica, i prodotti fluttueranno sospesi nella sala mentre un sistema di odorama ne riprodurrà i profumi.

Il progetto di partecipazione dell'Ecuador all'Expo di Milano è stato realizzato da un consorzio di imprese internazionali: Leagas Delaney Italia per la parte di comunicazione, eventi e ufficio stampa, Zorrozua y Asociados per il progetto architettonico del Padiglione, Eurostands per la realizzazione e gli allestimenti e Uvet per il recruitment e la gestione dello staff, in coordinamento con la Delegazione Governativa Ecuador per EXPO 2015 basata a Quito.