Designed by Italo Rota from Carlo Ratti Associates, in collaboration with matteo Gatto and F&M Ingegneria, the Italian pavilion for the Dubai Expo 2020 is an experiment on sustainability and reusability.

Temporary structures such as expo pavilions are often criticized for being wasteful, and so the Italian pavilion tried to challenge that idea by building using as much recycled materials as possible and thinking ahead how each piece of the pavilion could be used after the expo was over.

The most iconic elements of the design are the roof and the façade. The roof is made from three boat hulls, which could actually be turned into actual working boats after the expo. They are painted green, red and white to represent the Italian flag, and an EFTE membrane covers the gaps between them, completing the roof.

The façade is made from 70 kilometers of rope. The rope is made from recycled plastic and makes for a permeable façade that allows air to circulate through it, therefore reducing the need for air conditioning in the inside. The façade by itself can bring the air temperature down by 10-15 degrees Celsius, compared to the outside.