Sotheby's offered Artek Pavilion by Shigeru Ban

Sotheby's offered the Artek Pavilion by internationally recognized architect Shigeru Ban in collaboration with UPM, one of the world's leading forest products groups, as part of the June 14, 2008 sale of Important 20th Century Design. Made primarily from recycled materials, this prefabricated pavilion, which has been exhibited in Milan, Helsinki and Miami, demonstrates the ingenuity of design in offering alternative environmentally friendly spaces in teh 20th century. The Artek Pavilion was offered on behalf of Proventus, the majority owner of Artek, with the proceeds being donated to arts and culture affiliated charities.

The Artek Pavilion, "The Space of Silence", is built using mainly one material: extruded profile out of wood plastic composite, made primarily from recycled materials. The architecture of the pavilion was designed around structural-unit concept, repeated multiple times in forming an elongated shed-like building. It was designed to be re-assembled, and the elements were pre-built and assembled in Finland. This nomadic construction, an unconventional piece of ecological innovation with elegant beauty, stands for Artek's attitude to sustainable development, amplifying the dialogue between design, architecture and art.

The Artek Pavilion was first presented by Artek and the forest products group UPM in April 2007, in Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, Italy, in the triennal garden, a legendary platform in international design. In September 2007, the pavilion was erected in Helsinki, Finland in the area between the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum. In December 2007, the nomadic pavilion was reconstructed and placed on exhibition for the third time at Design Miami, Florida.

Read more:
Sotheby's press release
Artek Pavilion at Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2007
Artek Pavilion at Design Miami 2007
Proventus' engagement in Artek