Design: Michelangelos design for the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome included a twelve-pointed star to be depicted in the paving. For the Italian Pavilion at the Expo 2015 in Milan, the star was reinterpreted as a „tree of life“, a twisting wooden sculpture. The tree symbolizes being rooted in the past, in this case the epoche-making Italian Renaissance, while growing into a vision of the future filled with innovation, culture, and the cooperation of cultures.
Wood: A daring construction of bent cross-laminated timber slats is twisted around a loadbearing steel tower. The timber construction, weighing around 90 tons, extends to a height of 35 meters and a diameter of up to 42 meters.
Special Projects
Tree of Life
Milan, Italy
1 | Light show at night
A wooden sculpture, 35 meters high and with a diameter of up to 42 meters, lifting Michelangelos Piazza del Campidoglio design into the third dimension.
2 | Construction time
3 | Construction time
4 | Water show at day
Basic information
Technical aspects
Overall Design
Year of Completion |
2015
Investor |
Arexpo S.p.A., Milan (IT)
Architecture |
GAPprogetti – Alessandro Gasparini Ingegnere, Brescia (IT); Light show, staging: Gio Forma/ Marco Balich, Milan (IT)
Structural Engineering |
GAPprogetti – Alessandro Gasparini Ingegnere, Brescia (IT); Ing. Giovanni Spatti, Gratacasolo di Pisogne (IT)
Construction Time |
4 months
Plot size |
10 000 m²
Construction Costs (netto) |
3 mio. €
Technical aspects
Concept |
Cross-laminated timber slats twisted around a central steel pillar
Woodworking |
Consorzio Orgoglio Brescia, Brescia (IT)
Overall Design
