TOMORROW’S WORLD
How Milan is transforming in preparation for its futuristic Expo
Standing in hard hat and muddied boots on a vast construction site outside Milan, it’s hard to imagine that the 2,000 sqm plot of concrete foundations I am looking at will, by the spring, be transformed into a 40-metre-long meadow of wildflowers and fruit trees, with a walkway leading to a giant beehive suspended above a plaza at the far end. I am told that the golden orb will be surrounded by delicate layers of honeycomb-shaped aluminium latticework, with buzzing sounds and LED lights pulsating in unison with the real-time movements of bees in a hive in England.
Designed by British architect Wolfgang Buttress, the UK’s pavilion for Expo 2015 (expo2015.org) will cost more than £10 million to build and operate. The theme of the six-month event, which starts on May 1, is “Feeding the planet, energy for life”. Almost 150 countries will present their ideas on how to support a global population of nine billion people in 2050 (up from seven billion today). With one-third of the planet’s crops dependent on pollination, the UK has chosen to highlight the importance of the honeybee to agriculture.
The Expo – historically known as the World’s Fair – is more than just another trade show. It is a consumer event that has acted as a dazzling showcase for cutting-edge inventions, innovations and ideas from around the world since the mid1800s. The telephone, light bulbs, radio, television, public toilets, escalators and even Heinz Ketchup all
The Expo is a dazzling showcase for cutting-edge inventions, innovations and ideas
made their debut at one of these exhibitions.
The last World Expo was in Shanghai, in 2010. Milan won its bid in 2008. Costing Italy more than €2 billion, during a period of economic crisis, taking on this kind of project could be seen by some as unwise, possibly even reckless. Piero Galli, general manager for the event management division of Expo Milano 2015, says: “We are struggling to break even but making a profit is not our goal.”
Instead, the aim is for Expo to create a legacy that everyone can benefit from. The city’s time in the spotlight will not only bring in an extra 13.5 million people (Greater Milan welcomed 6.5 million visitors in 2013) but also stimulate the economy, boost local development, and give the city and the Lombardy region global exposure.
Vic Annells, consul general and director general for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Milan, says: “The world market was a very different place when Milan put in its bid. But even if Italy had the choice to do the Expo now, I still firmly believe it should. Without the Expo on its horizon, what would Italy be pinning its hopes for growth on? It has had four different prime ministers in the past four years – that constant change is not good. As a G8 nation fighting for a place on the world stage, the Expo gives modern Italy a fantastic showcase.”
It was recently announced that the official airlines for Expo 2015 would be Alitalia and Etihad – the Abu Dhabi-based carrier has just bought a 49 per cent stake in the Italian flag carrier with the intention of revitalising the formerly loss-making airline. James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad, says: “Our plan will integrate the strength of [Milan] Malpensa airport as the main gateway to northern Italy, and [Milan] Linate airport as a northern connection point between Alitalia’s vast domestic network and destinations throughout Europe. Etihad is already a frequent visitor here with daily passenger flights to and from Abu Dhabi. But the route will be better served next year when Alitalia commences daily flights between Malpensa and Abu Dhabi, connecting with Etihad flights to the Indian sub-continent, South East Asia and Africa.”
‘As a G8 nation fighting for a place on the world stage, the Expo gives modern Italy a fantastic showcase’