les ateliers de maitrise d'œuvre urbaine en asie

LES ATELIERS DE MAITRISE D’ŒUVRE URBAINE EN ASIE
LE COLLOQUE
21 et 22 novembre 2000
Mardi 21 Novembre 2000
MATIN
WORLD EXHIBITION
HANNOVER 2000
Michael Trieb
Engineer, Architect and urban planner, professor at Stuttgart
University, Germany
OBSERVATIONS
Expo 2000 in Hannover/Germany – A big international
exhibition with global signification, build as a temporary
event in and on the terrain of the Trade Fair Area of
Hannover/Germany, from the beginning stressed by a
negative reaction of the media, closed some weeks ago
overcrowded by visitors, in the last months, overshadowed
by a financial deficit of probably more than one billion US
–dollar, contradictory discussed in wide sections of the
population – what was the Expoo 2000 in Hannover?
At the first glance it was an exhibition of modern
architecture and public design on a global level individual
buildings of different nations showed different approaches
towards a main theme of the Expoo, man, Environment
and Sustainability – sometimes with high intelligence and
flair. As for instance; the superposition of natural elements
in urban life (Netherlands) walls of running water(Ireland,
Norway) or the wood storage in the form of an exhibition
pavilion (Switzerland).
At the second glance it was a mutual presentation of
innumerable cultures with her history, landscape culture,
life condition and understanding of her contribution to a
global society. Here buildings , design of exhibitions and
the exhibitions themselves – Often backed by special drink
and food offers – served together as representative for the
contribution of a nation to the global society in past,
present and future. With pavilions like traditional Asian
masterpieces, of Nepal or Thailand or Arabic dream
houses, representing for instance Yemen or Saudi Arabia,
the cultural impact in the exhibition was very strong.
At a third glance it became obvious that a lot of visitors the
Expoo 2000 was an occasion to have a view into, a feeling
of other cultures through the rich program of events,
which happened every day. So it was possible to follow a
whole day different forms of dance from the whole world,
presented in the national pavilions, to have drinks and food
in three continents in one day, and to participate in real
religious ceremonies for Buddhists, Muslims, and Christ’s.
Whole days could be spend to hear traditional et modern,
classic and popular music in life concerts, or, last but no
least, to follow theatre plays from historic Asian
performances to a modern production of one of the great
and profound middle European works of literature, the
“Faust” by J.W v. Goethe
IMPRESSIONS
The individual impression of thereal experience of the
exhibition is very mixed. On the one hand very interesting
general exhibition themes, as man, Environment, Health,
Mobility, Technology and the rich National presentations
in Architecture, Culture and Lifestyle. A remarkable
understanding of man and environment relations in many
individual exhibitions and an overwhelming involvement
of most exhibitors in material aspects of life, especially in
technological and economical aspects. But on the other
hand there have been only few real tendencies in artistic,
social, intellectual, cultural values, which could be of
interest for the global society or tomorrow.
Negative experiences concerned often high expectations in
entering and exhibition, often after a long waiting time, and
the rarely satisfied, often disappointed feelings when
leaving the exhibition. Also the often ephemeral exhibition
architecture, which hardly ever gave the impression of
sustainable, unique of timeless value – no Mies van der
Rohe pavilion, no Eiffel tower. Added to this came for the
visitor the accidental addition of the individual national and
theme pavilions, because the urban design concept of the
exhibition, realised mainly through landscape architecture,
showed to be not strong enough in most parts of the
public space to create a common denominator. So the
general impression was in many parts of the Expoo a
mixture of either trade fair, or tourist fair and amusement
park, in the last months filled by endless human masses of
visitors , who moved relaxed but overdense through the
area, and forming endless queues before the pavilion
entrances with waiting times up to one or two hours.
CONCLUSIONS
What will remain from the Expoo 2000 in Hannover? A
trade fair area, what was there before, enlarged by new
impressing exhibition halls, and some pavilions, like the
Chinese pavilion, which will be dedicated to special
purposes? And dispered over Germany and the World
some of the other pavilions , or teard to pieces and sold
out, like probably the Swiss pavilion – not the baldest
solution.
Rapport de la 4 ème session en Asie - SHANGHAI / Chine 2000 42 11/03/2009