Exhibition pavilion. The power of creating a new reality

The pavilion was built in 1961 on the northwestern edge of Zagreb Fair. At the time, its elegant silhouette and the meshed, ribbed surfaces of the walls of its roof edge made it a visual landmark of Zagreb Fair. The structure was built with a prefabricated steel frame with glazed outer panels set in metal frames and canopies along the long sides of the building. Along the shorter, eastern side, a two-flight staircase was built in an annex with a flat roof; the annex also had a centrally placed one-flight staircase. The staircases were built out of steel, while the hall was covered with corrugated sheet metal. This brief, systematised outline describes the architecture and building of a brilliant period that opened the door to the construction of exceptional, high-quality large buildings. Many of Zagreb's architects at the peak of their creative abilities at the time were involved in designing the fairgrounds and its pavilions. A number of buildings were created in an exceptionally short time that would enter the annals of Croatian architecture, despite the difficulties of the demanding, speedy construction expected of them at the time. In the late 1950s, new construction materials appeared that enabled new forms and structures to be created; advances in industrialisation and production served as wind in the sails of the creative force of those capable of recognising new possibilities.