Santiponce Itálica

Heritage

An immense legacy waiting to be discovered

Pavilions of the 1992 Universal Exhibition in Seville

26458
0

On the occasion of the Expo '92, Seville made 215 hectares available for the event of the year. In spite of being one of the best preserved and most well used sites for a universal exhibition, there is no doubt that part of its extension has been turned into ruins. At the end of the Universal Exposition, the infrastructures have had different ends, being dismantled or demolished due to their own ephemeral construction. But despite all the vicissitudes, 32 of the 102 pavilions still remain.

The Cartuja Technology Park maintains many of its pavilions, some of which have been reused. The large avenues (Avda. de Europa, Avda. del Agua, or Avda. de los Arces) have also been well preserved.

The Isla Mágica theme park was built over the regional pavilions and the Lake of Spain, making use of the Spanish Pavilion.

The Navigation Pavilion operates as a museum of navigation and its surroundings have undergone great urban modifications, with such relevant buildings as the Pelli Tower and the Caixa Forum, as well as landscaped areas along the banks of the River Guadalquivir.

Moroccan Pavilion. It is one of the best preserved. It was built as a permanent building by King Hassan II. At the end of the Expo it was handed over to the State. It is currently the headquarters of the Three Cultures Foundation.

Hungarian Pavilion. It is one of the pavilions that has been declared a Site of Tourism Value. This space consisted of seven towers representing the seven religions of the country. It was restored and a small museum was created: the "Living Energy Pavilion". It was finally closed.

Finnish Pavilion. Another of the pavilions at Expo '92 declared a Site of Tourism Value. The headquarters of the Foundation for the Innovation and Dissemination of Architecture still has some elements brought from Scandinavia for the exhibition.

French Pavilion. It is also a Site of Tourism Value, and today it is a business incubator managed by Fundación Telefónica.

Pavilion of the European Economic Community. In 1992 the European Union did not yet exist under such name. This space represented the Europe of the 12. Its structure currently houses the headquarters of the Cartuja Science and Business Park, which used to be Cartuja 93.

Monaco Pavilion. It still has the aquarium inside. It currently houses the Albert I of Monaco Aquatic Ecology Station.

The Pavilion of the Future, which is currently being refurbished, is the headquarters of the General Archive of Andalusia. It also houses a large antenna of the Astrophysical Institute of Seville and a life-size reproduction of the Ariane 4 rocket.

Italian Pavilion. The largest after Spain, it is one of the best that has stood the test of time. During the year it hosted the Cartuja 93 project. It is currently home to technological innovation companies.

Canadian Pavilion now houses the EOI Business School (School of Industrial Organization, as per the Spanish acronym) as well as the Box Auditorium. 

The Fujitsu Pavilion was one of the stars of Expo 92, because of its 3D film, the spectacular glasses that had to be put on and the long queues we had to endure to watch the screening. It is currently managed by the Regional Government of Andalusia, Ministry of Education and Sport, and is the headquarters of the Seville Teacher Training Centre.

There are also many others that have been converted and adapted, such as the Plaza de África, which is now the headquarters of the Andalusian Confederation of Businessmen, and the Plaza de América, which is now the headquarters of the University School of Engineering. 

Finally, it should be noted that the Bioclimatic Sphere, which was one of the most representative landmarks of Expo '92, although it is not in operation, remains an emblem of those days of Expo '92.
 

0 comments

New comment

The comments are moderated, so it takes a while to appear. If they contain offensive language they will not be published.