Expo 2015

Expo 2015 was a World Expo hosted by Milan, Italy. It opened on May 1 at 10:00 CEST and closed on October 31. Milan hosted an exposition for the second time; the first was the 1906 Milan International.
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) general assembly in Paris decided in favour of Milan on March 31, 2008. On November 23, 2010, the event was announced by the BIE. Expo 2015's theme was "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".
Themes
Expo 2015's theme was "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", encompassing technology, innovation, culture, traditions and creativity and how they relate to food and diet. The exposition developed themes introduced in earlier expos (such as water at Expo 2008 in Zaragoza) in light of new global scenarios and emerging issues, focusing on the right to healthy, secure and sufficient food for the world's inhabitants. Futuristic concerns about food security are compounded by forecasts of increasing uncertainty about the quantity of food which will be available globally. The exposition had seven sub-themes:
Science for food safety, security and quality
Innovation in the agro-food supply chain
Technology for agriculture and biodiversity
Dietary education
Solidarity and cooperation on food
Food for better lifestyles
Food in the world's cultures and ethnic groups
Site
The Expo 2015 site is about northwest of Milan, in the municipalities of Rho and Pero, and covers an area of . It is adjacent to the Fiera Milano fairgrounds, designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, which may be considered the cornerstone of the area's urban redevelopment. It had long been an industrial zone before its conversion to logistical and municipal services and agriculture. The fairgrounds and the Expo site were connected by a pedestrian bridge adjacent to the Rho-Pero high-speed rail station. Originally-planned bicycle paths were never constructed, and several motorways were built (or expanded) to allow access to the site.
The area is oblong in shape with an overall length of nearly , suggesting a boulevard along which the pavilions would be located. The design of pools and waterways in and around the Expo area was an element of primary importance.
Initial plan
The initial plan had the following elements:
50 per cent of the area occupied by pavilions, 35 per cent dedicated to space around each pavilion and the remaining 15 per cent a green perimeter around the site
Piazza Italia and Piazza Expo at either end of the main boulevard, the former dominated by the Italy pavilion and flanked by a second square (Piazza delle Regioni)
A large, artificial lake surrounded by the 20 pavilions representing the Italian regions
A 12,000-seat amphitheatre covering and a 6,000-seat, auditorium
Country pavilions in three sizes, depending on the financial resources of the participating country
Three pavilions dedicated to geographic areas: Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean
A service area was planned near the main Expo site with hotels, parking facilities, stores, a convention centre, green areas, a business centre available to Expo participants and a Expo Village to house staff, volunteers and security and administrative personnel.
The following thematic pavilions were also planned:
What the World Eats: At the base of the Expo tower and in the pedestrian bridge connecting the Rho-Pero fairgrounds to the expo site
Science and Conscience
Tales of Land, Air and Water
The Food Spiral
The Right to Eat Well
In the Realm of the Senses, in Piazza Italia
Equilibrium
The Art of Food
Concept
Expo 2015's concept was presented on September 8, 2009. It was designed by a committee of four architects: Stefano Boeri, Richard Burdett, Mark Rylander and Jacques Herzog.
The main idea was to trace two avenues (a main and a secondary avenue), representing the ancient Roman layout of a cardo and a decumanus. The initial idea of a "classical" site composed of avenues and pavilions was replaced by the idea of a "light" Expo composed of exhibition areas arranged across the main boulevard. The exhibition areas, identical for each country, recreated the typical food cycle of each nation from production to consumption. The centre of the avenue was occupied by a table in front of the country pavilions extending the length of the site, where visitors could sample foods produced in each country's pavilion. The area would be covered by large, tent-like structures to convey the idea of a global marketplace.
A second idea was to build large greenhouses on the site to reproduce the earth's principal biomes. These would be thematic pavilions for the cultivation and production of basic foodstuffs used in the individual country pavilions. Each country would have a dedicated greenhouse in its exhibition area. In this version of the site, water remained an important element but was shifted toward the exterior as a large, navigable canal surrounding the site. A large lake was also included in the design. Additional elements included a large, excavated amphitheatre and a hill, one at each end of the boulevard; expo village facilities across the encircling canal from the site, and redevelopment of the post-office building as a centre for sustainable development.
Master plan
The master plan for Expo 2015, coordinated by Stefano Boeri, was delivered to the BIE during its April 30, 2010 registration ceremony in Paris. Changes included:
Each exhibiting country could rent areas ranging from .
Buildable areas were reduced to 30 per cent of the area assigned to each exhibitor.
The large, but not navigable, canal around the area is maintained;
The tent roofing remained only along the axes of the cardo and the decumanus.
Greenhouses would be in a zone.
The circular canal became a theatre on the water, with a central stage.
The green hill opposite the amphitheatre would be built of earth from the amphitheatre excavation.
An auditorium was included.
Participants
Expo participants included 145 countries, three international organizations and several civil society organizations, corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Participants were hosted in individual or grouped pavilions.
Countries
Each participating country was hosted in a self-constructed pavilion and included on the Expo website. Some countries, such as Belarus, Belgium, Israel and
Germany, created external websites. As part of a reciprocity protocol with Expo 2010 in Shanghai, on December 8, 2008, China was the first country to formalise its participation in Expo 2015. The first country outside the reciprocity protocol to confirm its participation was Switzerland, on February 3, 2011. As in other years, during the Expo visitors could purchase a passport which could be stamped.
Two major countries which did not participate were Australia and Canada, who withdrew despite participating in the previous Expo in Shanghai, citing budgetary restrictions.
The following countries participated:
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Benin
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Brunei
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Republic of the Congo
Croatia
Cuba
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
Holy See
Honduras
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lithuania
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritania
Mexico
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Nepal
Netherlands
North Korea
Oman
Poland
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somalia
South Korea (as Republic of Korea)
Spain
Sri Lanka
Switzerland
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Nongovernmental organizations
Chinese Institute of Urban Design(Milan Expo Taiwan Proposal_Takeaway National Pavilion optogo)
ActionAid
Cesvi
Amity University
Andrea Bocelli Foundation
Caritas Internationalis
Cibus-Federalimentare
Don Bosco Network
Fairtrade International
Fondazione Triulza
KIP International School
Lions Clubs International
National Observatory for Women's Health
Oxfam International
Save the Children
Venerable Factory of the Duomo of Milan
WAA-AMIA/CONAF
World Wide Fund for Nature
International organizations
CERN
European Union
United Nations
Companies
China Corporate United Pavilion
Coca-Cola
Joomoo
New Holland Agriculture
Vanke
Agreements
In preparation for Expo 2015, the City of Milan signed coordination agreements with other cities in Italy and Europe focusing on tourism, culture and infrastructure. Agreements were also signed with other countries for the development of projects associated with food and education.
Partners
Official partners
Alitalia, Etihad Airways: airlines
BolognaFiere: operations
Came: automation, management and access control of visitors
Cisco: IP network and solutions
Coca-Cola: soft drinks
Eni: sustainability initiatives in African countries
Eutelsat: satellite
Excelsior Milano: T-shirts and gadgets
Ferrero SpA: confectionery specialties
Franciacorta DOCG: sparking wine
Fiera Milano: operations
Illy: Italian coffee
Huiyuan Juice: fruit juice
McDonald's: fast food
MSC: cruises
OVS Industry: T-shirts and gadgets
Technogym: wellness and sport
Trenitalia: rail carrier
Sicily: Regione Siciliana managing the Bio-Mediterraneum Cluster
Media partners
Canon: photography
Rai: television
Global partners
Accenture: system integration
Allianz: visitor assistance
CNH Industrial: agriculture
Enel: smart energy and lighting
Fiat-Chrysler: sustainable mobility
Finmeccanica (Selex ES): Safe City and Main Operation Centre
Intesa Sanpaolo: banking
Samsung: entertainment
Telecom Italia: integrated connectivity and services
Premium partners
Coop: food distribution
Other partners
Algida (Unilever): gelato
Birrificio Angelo Poretti: beer
Eataly: Italian food
Gewiss: lighting
Granarolo: milk products
Lavazza: coffee
Martini: drinks
San Pellegrino: mineral water
Swatch: official timekeeper
Controversy
Expo 2015's opening on May 1 was met with protests by a black bloc of anti-austerity activists, with police using tear gas. Although Vatican City invested €3 million in its pavilion before Pope Francis' election, he said that it was good for the church to be involved in causes which fight hunger and promote clean energy but too much money was wasted on the Expo by the Vatican.
Food
Several unusual (or unique) food choices were offered during the exposition, some normally not permitted in Italy. At Zimbabwe's pavilion, visitors could try burgers made from crocodile, zebra or python (named "crocoburger", "zebraburger" and "savanaburger" by their creator, consul Georges El Badaoui). The pavilion's food was some of the expo's most innovative and extravagant. At the Japanese pavilion during the expo, European regulations were relaxed and it was possible to taste sashimi from pufferfish (fugu). In the Future Food District were packs of canned insects, common in Southeast Asia but prohibited in the European Union. Italian chef Massimo Bottura and international colleagues created the Refettorio Ambrosiano, a gourmet soup kitchen using waste food from the fair.
Verybello.it
verybello.it was the Italian website for the Expo 2015. The website was launched in January 2015. Its early version has attracted criticism for omitting Sicily from the map of Italy, and for having only the Italian language version present. Website design and name have also been criticized.
The website, as accessed in late March 2015, had an English version, and an expanded map including Sicily.
Sport
World Cup Expo, a football tournament of mixed teams composed of workers from individual pavilions (or clusters), was held during the event.
Mascot
The mascot was Foody, a salad-like character, inspired by the work of Giuseppe Arcimboldo and is composed of eleven different foods, each of which forms a separate mascot, including Chicca the pomegranate. It was designed by Disney Italia.
Pavilions
See also
Jellyfish Barge
Nemo’s Garden (Noli)
References
External links
Official website of the BIE
European Patent Office
News on Expo 2015 and on the city of Milan
EXPO 2015 İzmir Film
Presentation at the BIE of the Expo 2015 candidature 19 December 2006
ExpoMuseum's Expo 2015 Page
BLOG Expo 2015 Milano – News & Expo History
Rai Expo official multilanguage site, a library of about 1000 videos exploring and explaining "Expo di Milano 2015" theme
Photo gallery made by a UNESCO photographer
Colombia Pavillon Video and Photo gallery
Website
A screenshot of the early version of the site, omitting Sicily
2015 in Europe
2015 in Italy
2010s in Milan
World's fairs in Milan
Tourist attractions in Milan