REFLECTIONS
It's all a matter of perspective.
The purpose of the floating Pavilion is to reflect Slovenia's past, present and future and revolves around reflecting the key aspects of the country's culture, natural beauty and innovations, where residents and tourists are invited to experience a ride through a floating green pavilion with a 360º projection across the landscape of the Drava River in Maribor.
The floating pavilion has a symbolic character and highlights three elements that most characterize Slovenia: the water, source of life; cultural vitality, flow of materials, ideas and architectures; nature, which connects the earth with the universe, knowledge extracted from the green heart of Europe to see, feel and reflect a history through the ages intertwined by pristine nature, knowledge, wisdom, innovation and an innovative economy.
The proposed project is part of the local urban/natural context by proposing a dialogue with the surrounding Slovenian landscape, taking into account the relations of scale and interference in the landscape, proposing a space for social, cultural interaction and contemplation of the landscape through the festivities to connect people closer to the Drava river.
The pavilion's solution is to feel and love Slovenia that is reflected on the waters, the result of a local conceptual process that seeks to establish a symbolic link belonging to the memory of the city and the country and to reinforce the dialogue between the city and the Slovenian forest, framing the landscape and architecture in only one structure.
FOREST + WATER + CITY
The floating pavilion, Sonia, is an initiative of sustainable cultural tourism that does not generate waste by installing modules whose system is the “Plug & Go”, where the pavilion, an autonomous vessel, connects with the existing platform to obtain energy from photovoltaic panels that supply a set of installations to the electric motor through a quick connection and recharging the system. In the waters of the Drava River, the floating pavilion has its communication via satellite, 5G or radio link with great range, which allows the operator to monitor and control the pavilion accurately and safely in real time, locally or remotely.
Wood from the Slovenian forest is the main starting point for choosing the material to build the entire pavilion. The pavilion, with a modular square base, measuring 8 x 8 x 4 m, has a permeable and ephemeral wooden structure that refers to the silhouette of the city's architectural typology and offers a reflected perspective that is constantly changing over its course. The modularity of 1.00 x 1.00 m allows flexibility and easy construction to multiply and expand the initiative of a sustainable project.
However, the Sonia floating pavilion provides a unique and timeless experience of integration with the natural environment. This being the protagonist, a sustainable initiative that remains through the ages, the environmental and cultural preservation of the city of Maribor and the whole Slovenia.
