(From right) Simon Featherstone, the UK's project director for the Expo, Huang Jianzhi, deputy director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, Chris Wood, deputy head of the British Embassy in China, Da Honghu, board chairman of Suzhong Construction Group Co Ltd, and Lu Haiqing, corporate relations director of Diageo (China), plant a ginkgo tree during the ceremony marking the start of construction for the British Pavilion yesterday, also Chinese Arbor Day.
Construction began yesterday on the UK pavilion for the Shanghai Expo, and officials said some changes have been made to its original design.
The original design, known as the "Pavilion of Ideas," was a unique "light box," which would display 60,000 radiating pixels, each ending with a tiny light source that swung in the wind. At night, the pavilion would twinkle with a variety of light effects.
Now the "light box" has been opened up. It looks like a huge gift box from the UK to China, said officials from the British Consulate-General in Shanghai. Inside the pavilion there will be an exhibition about "bringing nature back into the city."
Simon Featherstone, the UK's project director for the Expo, declined to reveal any more information on the new pavilion design and said it would give visitors a surprise. The design changes have nothing to do with the global financial crisis, he said.
Ian McCartney, commissioner-general of the country's Expo participation, told Shanghai Daily the original design may have been too brightly colored and might have dazzled visitors.
The pavilion will cost between 10 million pounds (US$13.74 million) and 12 million pounds.
Five British corporations - Diageo, BP, GKN, AstraZeneca and Barclays - will invest 500,000 pounds each for the pavilion. The rest will be paid for by the British government.