UK Pavilion for the Milan Expo opens today

The UK Pavilion at the Milan Expo opens to the public today.

BDP's videographer Nick Caville has been busy documenting the development of this exciting project with a film. His footage features interviews with key members of the design team who explain the design process and the ideas behind the scheme.

The UK pavilion resembles a giant beehive at the centre of a wildflower meadow, and is inspired by the crucial role played by bees and pollination in providing the world’s food supply. Visitors enter through an orchard set within a courtyard space enclosed by two walls perforated to resemble a bee hotel. Within these holes we have integrated AV and exhibition displays with information about the bee and its life cycle. The journey continues through the meadow before entering the hive structure, made from a lattice of 169,300 pieces of aluminium and steel.

Our architects, landscape, lighting and sustainability consultants designed the pavilion as part of a team led by Nottingham-based artist Wolfgang Buttress and including contractor Stage One and structural engineer Tristan Simmonds.

The Expo takes place from 1 May to 31 October and this year's theme is ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’.

View Nick's film on our YouTube channel.