The Chinese Pavilion is fragmented into a series of pieces sewn together by a warped roof. Aside from protecting a large space that functions as a public square, this roof expresses the symbolism behind the project: the idea of China as a “land of hope.” It does so in a metaphorical way, because ‘hope’ is understood here as the harmony between cities and nature, reflected by the undulating roof form based on the urban profile of Milan – which can be viewed from the north side of the building – and the farmlands that can be seen from the opposite side. The roof is held by laminated wooden beams with steel braces. However, beyond the technological display that its complex geometry demands, the roof evokes two of the most characteristic motifs in traditional Chinese architecture: on the one hand the slightly warped wood frameworks with corbels, whose form is evoked in the waves of the pavilion; on the other, the ceramic roofs, transformed here into a mosaic of tiles made of bamboo strips...[+][+]