Shanghai World Expo 2010 - The Middle-East Pavilions

Most of the pavilions of the Middle East are from oil-rich countries, and cost was of no concern compared to putting up a good and impressive show. Saudi Arabia reputedly spent over 100 USD on their pavilion which is like a boat planted with date trees on top. Though most of them have money to burn, design-wise they are quite a mixed bag.

The mother of all the Middle-East pavilions has got to be the Saudi Arabia Pavilion. It is shaped like a boat, supposedly loaded with "dreams and friendship" as a gift for China. With date palms planted on the top deck, and floated on slender legs, the pavilion looks a bit surreal and looked like it had just sailed in from somewhere. It’s no wonder this is one of the most popular pavilions at the Expo. The record waiting time was about 9 hours! Forget about getting in unless you have World-class patience.


The next most expensive Middle-East Pavilion is probably The UAE (United Arab Emirates) Pavilion. Its shape is designed to evoke the sand dunes of the deserts. To me it looked more like a gigantic set of sensuous lips. Clad entirely in gold-coloured stainless steel, you can literally see where the money is spent. They even employed starchitect Forster & Partners from UK to design the pavilion.


The Arab's love of horses is evident here.


This is a rendering of the UAE Pavilion. You can't really see this view on Site. Don't you think they look like gigantic lips ?


The Israeli Pavilion looked like something Frank Gehry would have done, but based on my Google search it was actually designed by Israeli architect Haim Zotan. The Chinese have nicknamed this pavilion “The Seashell” and I can see why.


The Qatar Pavilion. Not much to talk about.


Even Iran and Pakistan are represented.

The Iran Pavilion.


The Pakistan Pavilion.

Shanghai World Expo 2010 - The Asian Pavilions Part II

In Part II of my post on the Asian pavilions, we move closer to home. First up is Taiwan Pavilion. I am not sure what it represents - it looks like a slightly weird office building. On one side is a huge glass-covered structure which contains a globe-shaped LCD screen. I think the effect would be better at night.


The Singapore Pavilion looks like a huge metal drum with spikes sticking out from the sides. Again it is difficult to work out the concepts behind the design - as it bears no visual connection to Singapore, and the form doesn't seem to follow any particular function. Is it a a gun turret, or a missile silo for Dr. Strangelove ? Still it was quite dramatic to look at.


Finally we come to the Malaysia Pavilion. Frankly I was a bit disappointed. This was our moment to shine, and we could only trot out the tired old Minangkabau Roof. It looked more like a Tourism Malaysia project - and it probably was. The only saving grace was the beautiful batik painting on the roof - which were hand-painted by several batik artists from Malaysia. Better effort next time - Malaysia !


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Shanghai World Expo 2010 - The Asian Pavilions Part I

The Shanghai World Expo is more about design pyrotechnics then technological innovation. Most countries who are serious about their participation have pulled out all the stops to create show-stopping pavilions which look stunning from the outside.

Here I would like to share with you my pictures of some of the Asian pavilions.

India Pavilion. It has a beautiful planted dome. The planning and form is quite Classical - kind of like a temple.


The Nepal Pavilion. Quite intricate and exotic. The open dome-shaped structure in the middle is very interesting.


The Thai Pavilion. It looked just like a Thai Palace. Exotic dancers entertain the crowd while they wait to enter the pavilion.


Now for something completely different. The Japan Pavilion. The Aliens have landed ! The pavilion is covered in ETFE - a high-tech plastic. It is given a pinkish hue which makes the whole building look a bit organic. Looks like it came right out of the pages of an anime - strangely fitting for a Japan Pavilion.


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Shanghai World Expo 2010 - China Pavilion

The China Pavilion is the mothership of all the pavilions. It is the biggest, tallest and most expensive pavilion - and covered in eye-catching Imperial Red. You can't miss it as you enter the Expo site.

The pavilion has 3 main parts - a podium level clad in a huge aluminium screen, a roof garden above the podium, and the top section which is like an inverted pyramid. Actually the shape is taken from the eave detail of traditional Chinese temple and palace architecture - traditionally stacked wooden beams placed in a crisscross pattern to extend the depth of the roof eave. In this case - the design has been blown up a few thousand times to become the form of an entire building. I must say this is one of the more successful appropriation of a traditional form for a modern building. The resulting structure is quite dramatic and iconic.


The podium level covered in a huge aluminium screen.


The crowd waiting to enter the pavilion.


China Pavilion at night.


To get into the China Pavilion, you need to queue outside the Expo site at 5:00 a.m. to get one of the 60,000 passes given out everyday. Then you queue again to get into the Pavilion. The line is 4 hours long. I didn't have the patience to wait that long, so could only admire the pavilion from the outside.

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Shanghai - The Bund

Shanghainese call The Bund "Waitan" - literally outer bund, as it was once territories occupied by the outsiders - British, Americans and later on also the French. This stretch of Shanghai is the most popular tourist attraction, and have been featured in countless articles and photographs. However, getting the actual feel of it on the ground is something else. The beauty and scale of the buildings, the majestic Huangpu river, and the Pudong skyline all combine to make this one of the most spectacular cityscapes in the world. Head to the New Heights - a bar and restaurant at 3 on the Bund, and you will get one of the best views of The Bund.

Located on the west bank of the Huangpu River, The Bund is about 1 mile long, stretching from Yan'an Road to Waidaidu Bridge. The main part of The Bund is along Zhongsan Dong Lu, named after Dr Sun Yat-sen. Along this road, the British, Americans and other foreign forces built their banks, hotels, consulates and trading houses. This collection of handsome European style buildings are now an invaluable architectural heritage of Shanghai.

The beautiful Waitan.


View from the New Heights at 3 on The Bund.


View of Pudong skyline from The Bund.


You really need to visit The Bund at least twice during your trip to Shanghai - once during the day to see the beauty and detail of the architecture, and another during the evening to see the buildings in the full golden splendour of the floodlights.