Shanghai Daily news

Shanghai can enjoy a sneak preview of the competing designs for the Britain Pavilion at World Expo Shanghai 2010 after an exhibition featuring the designs was launched last night.

Six teams competing to design the UK Pavilion have brought their proposals back to Shanghai after they examined the Expo site for inspiration two months ago.

Their creations are on show until Sunday at the Shine Space Gallery on Moganshan Road, one of the city's creative industry zones.

The models of the designs have just been on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and they have attracted a great deal of interest, said the British Consul General, Carma Elliot.

"Any one of the six designs on show could make a fantastic contribution to World Expo 2010," said Elliot. "We're looking forward to hearing what the British and Chinese public think."

The public opinion will be considered by the jury which will select the winning design on September 19.

People can choose their own favorite designs for the UK Pavilion by voting at the exhibition or by commenting on the UK's official Expo Website www.ukshanghaiexpo.com before September 18.

"We encourage all of the designers to think about bringing innovation into the designs," said Elliot.

Some of the designs feature interesting approaches to building techniques and materials using environmentally friendly, technologically advanced materials instead of concrete or steels. And the UK organizers hope their pavilion will meet a high environmental standard.

The six teams were chosen from more than 40 design groups and include the creators of the London Eye - the largest Ferris wheel in the world - and Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, the world's top award for architecture.

The UK has chosen to build its own 6,000-square-meter pavilion on the Pudong side of the Expo site, beside the Lupu Bridge. Construction is expected to kick off in 2009.

The winning team will be announced on September 21.