uk-pavilion-at-shanghai-expo-2010-by-thomas-heatherwick

Here are more photos of the just-completed UK Pavilion atShanghai Expo 2010, designed by Thomas Heatherwick.

The pavilion is covered in 60,000 transparent rods, each containing seeds from the Millennium Seed Bank in the UK.

Shanghai Expo 2010 opens in May.

More Dezeen stories about this project:

Photos of Thomas Heatherwick’s UK Pavilion (March 2010)
Images of updated design for pavilion (June 2009)
Thomas Heatherwick wins UK Pavilion design competition (September 2007)

See a short movie about the project on YouTube.

Here’s some info from UK Trade & Investment:

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UK unveils images of acclaimed Pavilion at Shanghai Expo

With just one month to go until the opening of Shanghai Expo 2010, the largest Expo ever held, the UK is releasing exclusive images of its acclaimed Pavilion.

Sir Andrew Cahn, Chief Executive of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the senior official responsible for the UK’s contribution to Shanghai Expo, said: “The UK Pavilion is already one of Expo’s star attractions. It has not only generated huge interest in China – and a nickname, the ‘Dandelion’, a Chinese good luck symbol – but photos of this extraordinary building have been used from LA to Lisbon and from Caracus to Calcutta as the defining image of Shanghai Expo.

“China, one of the fastest-growing and largest economies in the world, will be central to the UK’s economic future. The ground-breaking design of the UK Pavilion is helping to overcome images of the UK as a land of swirling fog and cobblestones. Amidst over 230 pavilions jostling for attention, the UK Pavilion stands out.”

Seventy million people are expected to visit Shanghai Expo, which opens to the public on 1 May for six months. Many millions are expected to visit the UK Pavilion alone.

The theme of Shanghai Expo is “Better City, Better Life”. This inspired British designer Thomas Heatherwick to use the UK’s expertise in urban planning to create a unique and open space. Instead of creating a building covering the entire football pitch-sized site, he created a park in which people could relax in one of the world’s busiest urban spaces.

Thomas Heatherwick said: “It has been a tremendous achievement of the team to deliver such a complex structure. I am excited that the Seed Cathedral is now complete and I look forward to the millions of visitors to the Expo enjoying the space.”