A month after the close of Expo, the future of the Coca Cola pavilion has been announced: it will be given a second life as promised — free of charge and available to basketball enthusiasts.
Promise kept. Exactly one year after the presentation of the Coca Cola pavilion at Expo Milano 2015, its future has been unveiled today at Palazzo Marino. By next spring, the pavilion will become an indoor basketball court at the Robinson Park in Milan, in the Famagosta area.
After welcoming 400,000 visitors over the 6 months of the Universal Exposition, the pavilion will be dismantled and rebuilt in the park, which already hosts two playgrounds. The project involves covering and refurbishing one of the two existing basketball courts in the area, making it accessible to people with disabilities as well.
"We are really pleased to have a piece of Expo in the city," said Chiara Bisconti, councillor for wellbeing, quality of life, sport and leisure, human resources, animal welfare, green spaces and general services at the Municipality of Milan. "This way, the court can be used even when the weather doesn't allow it. And more importantly, it will remain public: an open-air gym."
Conceived with a second life in mind, the rectangular structure measures 35 metres by 20 and stands 12 metres tall, with a total surface area of 1,000 square metres, made up of 142.38 tonnes of wood. "Our city is one of the capitals of urban sport, with as many as 120 public courts. Having one with these features is a great achievement, and it is especially so because it is a peripheral neighbourhood that will benefit. I believe there could be no better legacy from Expo than this."
Also present at the event was Dino Meneghin, the unforgettable star of Italian basketball and today a spokesperson for the Federazione italiana pallacanestro (Fip), who commented on the initiative as follows: "On behalf of the Federation too, thank you for what you are doing for basketball; this gives young people the space to play freely. A gesture that brings joy."
"Expo 2015 was an incredible success for us and exceeded all our expectations. The response from the public was also excellent — the visitors to our Pavilion were almost double what we had forecast," said Evguenia Stoitchkova, general director of Coca Cola Italia. "We are truly proud to be able to announce already, as promised a year ago together with the Municipality of Milan, the area in which to give new life to our Pavilion — a concrete expression of our commitment to promoting sport and an active lifestyle."