Shanghai Daily news

It looks like a giant pair of scissors went to work on the spectacular Poland Pavilion design for the 2010 World Expo. It's an upside-down Chinese box covered with illuminated paper-cut designs.

When traditional, intricate Chinese paper-cut patterns meet simple, geometrical architecture, the result is (or will be) the awe-inspiring Poland Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo.

The 3,000-square-meter pavilion gives the impression of a huge paper cut-out building, tilted slightly upward from the ground. The exterior walls or sides of the oblong quadrilateral structure are patterned like a traditional paper cut-out and illuminated from within.

China is known for its traditional paper-cutting craft, and the pavilion design evokes both ancient artistry, abstract design and futuristic thinking.

The design, one of 20 proposals, embodies the pavilion theme, "People Create Cities," demonstrating the World Expo theme "Better City, Better Life."

In addition to Poland's urban achievements in making cities more livable, the pavilion will feature the life and music of Poland's Frederic Chopin (1810-49).

One of the Expo's most innovative pavilions will showcase one of the world's most creative composers, known for the "Blue Danube" waltz among other compositions. The building will contain a concert hall, auditorium and performance spaces inside and on the roof.

"We analyzed the functional qualities of the pavilion designs, primarily the aesthetics, concept and color," said Anna Kaminska, commissioner general of the Poland Pavilion section of the Expo.

The white paper-fold building appears to be made from a giant sheet of folded paper, an intricate, folkloric tracery of designs. A dramatic feature is the ramp connecting the entrance and the rooftop, which offers an open-air restaurant.

During the daytime, the exhibition space will be filled with light filtering in through the cut-out exterior wall patterns. At night, the pavilion will shine inside and out with floating colors. Cut-out figures will seem to be dancing on the wall.

The inner solid walls of the pavilion function as screens, on which scenes of Polish city life will be projected. The exhibit features innovative urban designs that bring people into closer contact with nature and let them interact more easily with others.

Visitors will enter an exhibition on the "future of cities." There the wooden ground-level floor gradually rises, opening onto an auditorium for performances taking place below. This entry ramp leads from within to the roof where open-air film screenings, theatrical performances and concerts will be staged.

The pavilion is environmentally friendly and "green," and there will be lots of green living things in the Expo environment. The basic construction material is wood, including the facade with the cut-out patterns.

Most construction materials are recyclable and since the pavilion must be removed from the Expo site, part of the wooden structure will be reconstructed in a Polish city.

The Expo site will be filled with dramatic pavilions and Polish organizers want their pavilion to stand out as a recognizable cultural landmark. It explores the importance of the "personal" experience between buildings and people.

The pavilion will also feature Chopin, Poland's best-known composer. "Chopin is more than a composer, he represents the nature of the nation," said Kaminska of the Poland Pavilion section. "But we will have a very modern interpretation of his masterpieces."

Poland will also take part in the Expo's Urban Best Practices Area, showcasing the city of Kielce's revitalization of the town's old section. The "One Street, Many People" project will be explained through interactive art and advanced 3D techniques as part of the Livable Cities section.