Past and Present Viable Pavilions Remain In
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ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH, Vol. 21, No. 3(September 2019). pp. 79-90 pISSN 1229-6163 eISSN 2383-5575 Past and Present Viable Pavilions Remain in Architecture: Envisioning New Directions for a Better Future Research on pavilions within the history of world fairs, from the mid-19th to the 21st Century Sodahm Suzanne Shim, Yoonhie Lee and Chaeshin Yoon Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Architecture, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea Professor, Department of Architecture, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea Professor, Department of Architecture, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea https://doi.org/10.5659/AIKAR.2019.21.3.79 Abstract The ephemeral and temporal nature of pavilions is the underlying motivation that led to the development of this paper. From the beginning of the industrial era through contemporary history, there have been many instances of architects attempting to rethink architectural design in the context of modern social, cultural, and technical imperatives. Today, the leading changes in humanity are accompanied by a revolutionary electronic digital medium. The pavilion has been in an amalgamation of architectural integration since the beginning of human history. World’s Fairs/Expos have, since their establishment, served as international presentations of goods and achievements of particular nations. They became a popular stage wherein potential architectural achievements were showcased through the evocative architecture of pavilions. Due to the pavilion’s “temporary nature,” its coverage includes various perspectives: social, historical, geographical, post-colonial, iconographical, temporal, and ephemeral. It has also served as a receptacle due to its representational value at a given time. The pavilion has offered architectural designers, clients, and visitors a place to use their imaginations. Moreover, the architect’s role in creating pavilions cannot be overestimated. Due to fact that they abound in symbolism, contemporary designs, and innovative solutions, pavilions often mirror modern mankind and plan for the next aesthetic revolutions and ideological architectural theories. To understand and appreciate architects’ original intentions with their pavilions, this paper focuses on noteworthy pavilions that were created from the beginning of industrialization through the present. It explores and discusses the pavilion’s characteristics, highlights the significance of its physical form as generated by a specific theme. Keywords: Pavilion, Temporality, Transformative, World Fairs, Urban Art-Architecture Installation th 1. INTRODUCTION: THE INFLUENCE transformed from the early 19 Century (when powerful nations th OF FAIRS’ THEMES ON THE PAVILION used pavilions to promote their imperial propaganda) to the 20 Century (when pavilions were correlated with consumerism Thepavilion 1 was born from a desire for a place to contemplate representing the multinational corporation sector’s eagerness and interact with natural surroundings. Over the course of to advertise products) to the 21st Century (when pavilions were architecture’s long development since the Enlightenment, the created through individual artistic freedom with collaborative pavilion has experienced a radical shift in its usage, which efforts by multiple engineering experts). demonstrates both its amplified form and transformation The pavilion has therefore represented a significant of architecture itself. To understand these shifts, it is helpful architectural type throughout human history. It was one of the to understand the past in order to reveal how the pavilion key components of architecture and art history. In fact, world fairs2 were celebrations of progress, and each fair brought with it architectural innovations and Enlightenment ideas. Historically Corresponding Author : sodahm suzanne shim Department of Architecture, Engineering Building, A304, 52 notable pavilions were mainly showcased at world fairs that Ewhayeodae-Gil, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, South Korea had specific purposes and were held in Western countries, and e-mail : [email protected] were an exceptional historical phenomenon. The fairs’ design experiments provided driving forces for the development of This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the technology. Although world fairs are now celebrated events, they Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http:// originally had a political purpose, and individual entrepreneurs creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted were only allowed to participate at later dates. Following the new non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. millennium, another architectural narrative unfolded with the ©Copyright 2019 Architectural Institute of Korea. 80 Sodahm Suzanne Shim, Yoonhie Lee and Chaeshin Yoon development of the new thematic pavilion. Historical national Each world fairs had an overarching theme, which portrayed pavilions used to signal innovative milestones in construction the current period and provided an outlook on future devel- and engineering for those industries outside the scope of the opments in technology and civilization. Identifying different fairs. The evolving nature of the pavilion has changed, but it will types of pavilions designed during various historical transitions continue to be interesting, instructive, and influential.The pavil- showed the significance and versatility of human culture. Table 1 ion shows the external causes of the evolution of modern human displays the chronological history of the world fairs, highlighting history. It is a multi-layered phenomenon that encompasses eco- specific trends over time. This study aims is to reveal the consis- nomic, political, social, cultural, and ethical issues. Moreover, tent nature of the pavilion and its evolution. Since specific pa- the pavilion is uniquely poised, because it clearly demonstrates vilion type is rooted in architectural production, it is important both the characteristics of its lively, open, aesthetic beauty and its to address why the pavilions were showcased at various world promise of mature, cultural, integrated architectural practice. To fairs, and the specific message displayed with unique visages. fully understand the history of pavilions, it is important to look World fairs signify the temporal, ephemeral, and transformative back in time and location. World fairs, as amalgams of industrial nature of pavilions. Through examining modern-day pavilions, arts displays, were milestones at that time in history. this study aims to understand the present circumstances of the Kenneth Luckhurst (1951)3 explained that exhibitions were architectural profession, which has seen a shift toward the com- similar to fairs, but were quite different in one aspect: exhibi- mercial sector, rather than toward design for sustainability. tions were used solely to display or exhibit goods, while fairs The cohesive thesis of this research is that pavilions are interest- connoted commerce. Exposition (or expo) was a word that ety- ing because of their resilient transformations and temporal nature. mologically bridged the gap between fair and exhibition. It was We will gain inspiration by absorbing ideas for aesthetically sus- first used in 1649 to denote displaying something at a show.4 It tainable and resilient design, and substantial architectural knowl- is therefore important to distinguish between fairs and exposi- edge by examining the historical transformation of pavilions. tions (expos), because they are well-known for their large scale and merit, and were highly influential in the past. The interna- 2. FOUNDATIONAL STUDY MEASURES: tional events described commonly called world fairs, reflecting TRACKING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF PAVILIONS TO the spirit of their times, seems a relevant medium to analyze INFLUENCE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS this shifting paradigm in history. Especially, those were held in following list of table in reference, the premise is the power of 2.1 Review of the Literature Section nation can be further subcategorized into two distinctive criteria Previous studies on pavilions were limited and focused on the notable cities and the notable architects. classifying and identifying major terminologies in this field of Researchers began focusing on world fairs to understand the research. As displayed in Table 2, this study used a qualitative historical evolution of pavilions. comparison approach. First, interpretation of world fairs is divided into two phases: recognizing the specific exhibit, and Table 1. Notable World Fair and Expo Themes identifying the exhibition’s main theme. Second, selecting differ- ent pavilion types depends on not only the exhibition’s character LOCATIONS/YEARS OFFICIAL MAIN THEMES but also the exhibitor’s intentions. Third, every pavilion on exhi- The Great Exhibition of various London, England: 1851 bition must be recognizable for its temporality. industry works from all nations The study will explore pavilions to gather architectural prec- Centennial International Exhibitions edents. The pavilion played a critical role in the history of an international exhibition of soil/ Philadelphia, USA: 1876 mine arts, manufactured goods and architecture and helped architects design the most fascinating products freestanding objects for public display. This study of pavilions is offered as a contribution to the history of architecture as nor- Paris, France: 1889 Exposition Universelle internationale mally