Representatives from business and politics took part in the event on October 28. Among them were Lower Austria’s governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (fourth from left) and Austria’s Federal Minister for Labor, Dr. Martin Kocher (fourth from right) © Jakob Wassermann
“Japan is Austria’s second most important Asian market, with a trade volume worth €4.6 billion in 2023. That is why we want to strengthen the cooperation between Japan and Austria over the long term, which will also benefit Austria’s export companies,” Dr. Martin Kocher, Federal Minister for Labor, said at the beginning of the press conference held at Graf Holztechnik on October 28. The architectural eye-catcher at the entrance to the Austrian pavilion is also intended to help with this. “The visual pacemaker and guiding element of the Austrian pavilion is a spiral structure made of wood that is visible from afar and which, up close, turns out to be a music score. The structure’s appearance is massive and light, technological and musical, ecologically considerate and generous,” Johann Moser of MWM Designers & Architects, Vienna, commented.
The striking ribbon structure is supposed to make the Austrian pavilion a magnet for visitors to the Expo © Expo Austria/BWM Designers Architects
Since Austria is particularly known in Japan for its musical tradition, the inside of the loop functions as a music score and shows the first bars of the “Ode to Joy”. The pavilion itself will present Austria’s diversity and capabilities. Numerous events are intended to help Austrian companies gain a foothold in the Japanese and Asian markets.
Complex construction
The construction will be transported to Japan in twelve individual parts. © Jakob Wassermann
The loop’s structure, which combines traditional timber construction with know-how in modern timber engineering, was designed by BWM Designers & Architects in collaboration with the structural engineering office Werkraum Ingenieure, Vienna. The wind loads of up to 200 km/h, which had to be taken into account, were particularly challenging. Since three-dimensionally curved structures cannot simply be calculated according to the applicable Eurocode norms, special computer simulations were used to determine the loads. The results were then validated with load tests at the Graz University of Technology.
Graf Holztechnik was the general contractor of this project. In order to produce the spiral shape with little effort and without 3D milling, individual, thin wooden lamellas were used. Once they had been interwoven and the desired curvature had been achieved, the lamellas were connected to each other with dowels. The PEFC-certified lamellas were supplied by the Carinthian Hasslacher Group. For the small radii of up to a minimum of 3 m, Graf Holztechnik used lamellas with thicknesses ranging from 8 to 24 mm, depending on the respective curvature. For the 91-m-long belt, Graf Holztechnik processed a total of around 3,100 meters of lamellas during the two-and-a-half-month construction period.
Screws instead of glue
Since the construction is made entirely of screw connections, the lamellas can be disassembled and reused after the Expo. The curved band could also be used to produce straight wooden supports or beams. To protect the lamellas from the weather during the six-month Expo, they were given a water-based oil coating. All exposed connectors are hot-dip galvanized. The sculpture will be transported to Japan in twelve individual parts and assembled on site by a local construction company.
