The Russian pavilion designed by Wowhaus was submitted for the second competition, whose brief assumed that the main theme of the pavilion would be Time. Some participants approached this theme with a reserve, while others made it the main subject of either the exposition or the architecture of the pavilion itself. Wowhaus, however, interpreted the “time” theme paradoxically, perhaps even ironically, naming their project “The Most Temporary Pavilion”. Not “Time” or “Timely”, but specifically “Temporary”. Short-term. Passing. Fleeting.

Hereby arises a paradox linked not so much to the interpretation of the competition brief but to the specifics of world expos in general. On one hand, a typical EXPO lasts for several months and is designed so that the majority, if not all, of its constructions will eventually be dismantled. The exhibition is grand but temporary by definition. On the other hand, in recent decades, there has been an increasing call to preserve and utilize EXPO buildings, combining an ecological narrative with a certain degree of pride: the decision to preserve one pavilion or another becomes a reward and recognition of its qualities, including architectural ones. For example, in Dubai, much has been preserved, and the central part of the 2020 exhibition has been turned into an office center with commercial (sic!) housing, which, however, led to the “developer” image of the entire central part of the 2020 exhibition.

Thus, according to the Wowhaus proposal, the project of the Russian pavilion raises the not-so-fashionable category of temporality “on a pedestal”. But then again, perhaps not so unfashionable – in modern life, reuse is highly valued.

The architects proposed to construct the pavilion from architectural fabric on a metal frame made of PVC membrane, ETFE film, and glass-reinforced plastic. All of these are modern materials, sturdy and lightweight, and they also allow – once again, with ease – the creation of flexible, curved, “inflated” forms, futuristic and atypical. Here, one recalls the previously mentioned Luxembourg Pavilion in Dubai 2020 designed by the Metaform– it too was made of architectural fabric with multiple floors inside. The Wowhaus pavilion follows the same trend – that is, it is simply temporary, but it’s hard to say why it’s “the most” temporary.