Pavilions from World Expos 1851-2021

It was the vision of Prince Albert, president of the Royal Society of Arts and husband of Queen Victoria. His ambition was to display the wonders of industrial advancement from around the world, and to present the progress made by Britain in manufacturing and industry on an international stage. England was experiencing a manufacturing boom and the Great Exhibition was the opportunity to show off to a global audience.

The main body of the building was 563 metres long and 124 metres wide. The height of the central transept was 33 metres. The construction occupied 18 acres (seven hectares) on the ground, while its total floor area was 92,000 square metres. Over the five months it welcomed over six million visitors. Following the Great Exhibition the building was moved to south London where, on 30 November 1936, it was destroyed by fire.   

There were around 100,000 objects, displayed along more than 10 miles, from over 15,000 contributors in the Great Exhibition. Britain, as host, occupied half the display space inside, with 25 other countries also featuring. From stained glass, carpets, ceramics, tapestries, to paper as well as steam engines and all types of machines - from printing to agriculture to textiles. Queen Victoria aptly described the showcase as containing ‘every conceivable invention’.

Taking place during the second industrial revolution, the 1889 Expo showcased the latest technological advancements both within its displays as well as the architectural constructions. From innovations in architecture to steam powered machinery, including the hydraulic and steam crane used to construct the Eiffel Tower and Gallery of Machines pictured here. 

Then the largest metallic structure in Europe, the Gallery of Machines was created by Ferdinand Dutert with Victor Contamin. It covered eight hectares and featured the largest vaults in the world. With its immense self-supporting glass and metal nave, it needed a moving bridge, situated seven metres above the ground, to give visitors the chance to travel across the width of the building. Additionally a belvedere tower accessed via a lift offered views of the displays.

Another important architectural development at the Expo was the German Pavilion, designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with Lilly Reich. Emblematic of the Modernist movement, the pavilion has an iconic status and has been studied by generations of architects.

The Pavilion was conceived to accommodate the official reception presided over by King Alfonso XIII of Spain along with the German authorities. 

At the end of the Expo, the Pavilion was disassembled. However due to its reputation and significance, it became a key point of reference in 20th century architecture and was reconstructed in 1983–1986 in tribute to its status. 

It was constructed using glass, steel and four different kinds of stone, including Roman travertine, green Alpine marble, ancient green marble from Greece and golden onyx from the Atlas Mountains.

Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich designed the Barcelona chair especially for the Pavilion, consisting of a leather upholstered metallic profile which, over the years has become an icon of modern design. It is still manufactured today. 

Nevertheless it was still regarded as a highly innovative Expo, with new emerging technologies being showcased including the Sputnik satellite, nuclear power plant mock-ups and the use of new and synthetic materials and automated machines and computers.  

Standing 102 metres high, and with nine spheres interconnected by 20 tubes, the Atomium was designed to represent an elementary iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times. 
The unique structure was not intended to survive beyond the Expo but its popularity soon made it a landmark, a key part of the Brussels cityscape and an internationally-recognised symbol.

The pavilion became a cathedral to 250,000 seeds, creating a 15 metre wide and 10 metre high cubed structure that connected with its content via 60,000 protruding rods. These hairs, each a 7.5 metre acrylic rod. stemmed from every surface, extending from its exterior and interior.