Milan, Expo 2015: one of the greatest successes is the Azerbaijan Pavilion, conceptually created by VOLTAIRE LIGHTING DESIGN at the request of SIMMETRICO, contractor and direct link with the authorities of the former Soviet Republic. With the fundamental collaboration of HABITS, the key role of TERENZI SRL emerges in giving shape to the idea, making it concrete.
Dubai, Expo 2020: the project is re-proposed, with TERENZI SRL collaborating in the creation of part of the numerous LED "Tulips" of the set-up. The decision to include this country again in the Expo context is justified here, not only with a successful, captivating aesthetic that decreed its previous triumph - also through the "treasure" of biodiversity present in the Azerbaijani locality, in which there are no less than nine of the eleven climatic zones existing in the world.
The design has alternated interactive and innovative technologies with organic and enveloping shapes. The first installation you come across is the pavilion manifesto, which explains the key message of the exhibition contained in the title, Seeds for the Future, and its thematic groups.
Upon entering, one is naturally welcomed into a "digital forest", that integrates organic shapes and complex technologies. The interaction is completely touchless, thanks to the use of the 'Leap Motion Controller': it is an optical hand tracking module that captures their movements with precision. The entire main exhibition is dotted with colored flowerbeds that embrace five large interactive trees, while a graphic river - illustrated with the country's iconic symbols - runs through the exhibition, accompanying visitors step by step towards all the installations. Swings are positioned under the main tree, the architectural fulcrum of the pavilion, to invite spectators to enjoy the exhibition, rest and immerse themselves in its scenography. The Trees are 5: four host large vertical videos while the fifth hosts a transparent screen in augmented reality.
Products with thermoplastic injection molding, composed of a stem, of variable height to give a wave-like movement, and corolla, and the same with two opal polycarbonate petals, painted in various colors with eco-friendly paint, all of the 'Tulips' reveals an unimaginable total of details: 24,000 pistils and 24,000 stamens made up of optical fibers with high efficiency LEDs. For the illuminated body, for the stem, the corolla and the pistils, a soft touch opal white polycarbonate was opted for which dims the intensity of the light, painted with eco-friendly paint for plastic materials, resistant to heat and to the continuous operation of each element; optical fiber was used instead for the stamens.
The electronics have been developed to provide the best possible performance in terms of the amount of light emitted and duration over time. Alongside the wonderful aesthetics, the 'Bright Tulips' also express and update sophisticated technology. The electronics have been designed to obtain the best performance in terms of quantity and diffusion of light. Indispensable HABITS for the design of this light source, made up of 24 diodes assembled on kapton, which remains stable with operating temperatures well below the critical thresholds (even if lit 24 hours a day) as wrapped around an aluminum heat sink obtained with an ad hoc designed micro extrusion. The technical challenge was to try to reduce details to a minimum, so as to have transparent surfaces once illuminated. The geometries were fluid and, through the transparency of the flowers, the light filters brilliantly.
