The UK have designed and built a Pavilion that reflects the splendour of the Expo 2010. UK Pavilion is a striking, visual demonstration of the UK as a creative and innovative nation; exactly as Crystal Palace was in the very first Expo in London in 1851.
Developed by one of the UK’s leading creative talents, Thomas Heatherwick, the centrepiece of the UK pavilion is a six storey high object formed from some 60,000 slender transparent rods, which extend from the structure and quiver in the breeze. During the day, each of the 7.5m long rods act like fibre-optic filaments, drawing on daylight to illuminate the interior, thereby creating a contemplative awe-inspiring space. At night, light sources at the interior end of each rod allow the whole structure to glow. The pavilion sits on a landscape looking like paper that once wrapped the building and that now lies unfolded on the site.
Pavilion Theme
This overall theme of UK Pavilion, "Building on the Past, Shaping our Future" fits in with the overall Expo theme of a Better City, Better Life; it provides an overarching concept that brings together the many different stories and facets that make up the entire UK at Expo effort; and positions the UK as taking a leading role in future development.
