View of the Exhibition Hall from the south west corner. — Photo VTN Saverio Lombardi Vallauri

MILAN (VNS) — Vo Trong Nghia Architects have designed and built the Viet Nam Pavillion for the Milan Expo 2015, that will run from May 1 till October 31 in Italy.

The Milan Expo 2015 is a universal exposition at which participating countries will display their technology, innovation, culture, traditions, creativity and food, highlighting this year's theme: "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".

This year's Milan Expo motto has inspired the design team to bring back the power of living for urban people by providing food for their bodies and a positive outlook for their minds, which are equally important.

"Our proposal is to bring back the trees to the cityscape in order to share the importance of nature and regenerate living in harmony with nature," said Architect Vo Trong Nghia..

The design team has set up a two-storey exhibition space at the centre of the pavilion, surrounded on all sides by water and framed by 25 bamboo structures.

Vietnamese cities such as H Noi and Ho Chi Minh City are losing green areas, with less than one square metre per person.

VTN said they wanted to tackle the problem by incorporating trees into their designs and buildings.

Bamboo has been used in the construction of the pavillion, because it has a very rich and strong relationship with Vietnamese culture and life. — VNS