Second runner-up in the competition to design the Thematic Pavilion for Yeosu Expo 2012, the “Great Blue Whale” from Studio Nicoletti Associati is an allegorical architecture that draws attention toward the rich and attractive, but at the same time fragile, resources and ecology of the coastal areas. Based on a nautical theme, The Living Ocean and Coast, the pavilion depicts the oceans as originator of life on Earth and invites inhabitants to fulfill their responsibility to protect the aquatic ecosystem. To quote the jury,
It has a strong and powerful form that would become instantly recognizable. The theme of the Expo is symbolically represented with a shape drawn from marine life. The image of the pavilion is consistent with the theme of the ocean. Its fluid shape celebrates the nature of water and the marine life that has adapted to it. It makes a very simple but powerful metaphorical relationship. The exhibition space is very practical for post-use.
