GERMAN PAVILLON EXPO 2010 SHANGHAI – COMPETITION 2ND PLACE

Competition design 2nd place, German Pavilion at EXPO 2010 Shanghai

Together with the creative agency facts and fiction in Cologne, gtp2 was a close and frustrating runner-up in the design competition for the German Pavilion at Expo 2010 in spring 2008. Here we show what our design looked like.

8 silver cubes formed a very clear architectural sculpture, held together by a flowing horizontal band of the German national colours. 4 of the cubes float above a sculpted landscape, seemingly without column support. Generous sized gaps between the cubes allowed for the penetration of light and a feeling of space and orientation. A larger space between the floating and seated cubes creates contrast and drama by the use of the maximum permitted spatial height.

A further contrast is provided by the fluid design language of the flowing exhibition landscapes and the angular geometry of the pavilion cubes. 85 % of the site is left open and accessible to visitors in the form of a 2,600-m² park level with an open stage area, restaurant, shop, exit area from the ride and an open exhibit zone featuring “Made in Germany – Technology Gallery”. The main highlight of the pavilion is an 8 minute ride through all exhibition modules in futuristic gondolas.

The universal World Expo 2010 was held between 01 May and 31 October 2010 on a huge site of 5.28 km² on both sides of the Huangpu River. After Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, China was only the second Asian country in the 20th C to host a modern World Expo. Matching the nation’s size, the Peoples’ Republic broke all records with 70 m visitors and 240 participants – nations and international organisations like the Red Cross and the UN.

FACTS

client: BMWi Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy
organiser: koelnmesse
Partner-Agentur: facts and fiction
gross floor area: 9,070 m²
site areas: 6.709 m²
Baubudget: 18.0 m €