This is an early example of a demountable pavilion made with Sylva™ kit by Stora Enso by our partners, CBD in Slovenia. It was a temporary but very impactful structure that demonstrated on a large scale how exhibition stands can be reused or repurposed after the event to lower the overall carbon emissions of events.

Reflecting on this project, ten years later we can see now the Slovenian pavilion was ahead of its time. While the 2024 Paris Olympics embraced the concept of demountable designs the Slovenian pavilion implemented this idea a full decade earlier.

This early adoption of sustainable practices by CBD and Stora Enso might just have set a trend that has now become more widely recognized and adopted in major international events. The foresight and innovation demonstrated in the construction helped pave the way for more long-life designs in the years that followed.

About the project

The EXPO Milano 2015, held in Milan, Italy, was a global event that brought together countries from around the world to showcase their innovations and cultural heritage under the theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life." Among the many impressive structures at the expo, the Slovenian pavilion stood out for its use of cross-laminated timber (CLT), a versatile and renewable building material.

The Slovenian pavilion at EXPO Milano 2015 was located just outside Milan in Pero, Italy. The site covered an area of 1.1 square kilometres and was adjacent to the Fiera Milano fairgrounds. This location was chosen to facilitate easy access and to integrate with the existing infrastructure, making it a convenient and strategic choice for hosting such a large-scale international event.

The Slovenian pavilion, with its theme "I feel SLOVEnia, Green.Active.Healthy," demonstrates well what is possible to achieve with a Sylva CLT kit of parts by Stora Enso with relative ease and a short amount of time. After EXPO Milano 2015, the Slovenian pavilion, was dismantled. The materials used in its construction, including the Sylva elements were repurposed or recycled.

View more demountable pavilions made with a Sylva kit of parts

World Expo 2025 Pavilion, Japan

Nordic World Ski Championships 2023, Slovenia

Nordic World Ski Championships, 2019 Austria

BMW Artville 2018 Belgium

Read more about this project in Archdaily.