The next World Expo will take place in Shanghai, from May 1 to October 31 2010.

The Expo site is located at waterfront area on both sides of the Huangpu River, between Nanpu Bridge and Lupu Bridge. The theme is «Better City, Better Life». Shanghai Expo will be the biggest World Expo ever with 220 confirmed participants and 70 million visitors expected.

Conix Architects in collaboration with JV Realys have won the competition to design the Belgian pavilion for Shanghai EXPO 2010.

The Brain Cell Concept

The main challenge related to the conception of the Belgian-European pavilion was to fully understand the context of the Expo 2010 and its true meaning for the China. This means we had to fully grasp Chinese culture, Shanghai complexity and their specificities. As a result, the concept of the pavilion was fed with Chinese input, so that the pavilion can be fully appreciated by Chinese.

It was obvious that the pavilion has to communicate the ‘meaning of Belgium’. The objective was to develop a design that would reflect directly Belgium and Europe’s identity while in the same time give a direct image of Belgium. Due to the overloard of visual information in Shanghai, another challenge was to provide Belgium with a complete and overwhelming image.

The image of the Brain Cell became rapidly an obvious choice. The Brain Cell is the dominant conceptual image for the pavilion. It evokes the artistic richness of Belgium, as well as all its scientific achievements that have been integrated in our daily lifestyles and contributed to our global intellectual patrimony. The Brain Cell also refers directly to the role of Belgium as one Europe’s main cross-points and gathering centers. Throughout our experiences with Chinese locals in Shanghai, it appeared that although not all the Chinese are fully aware of Belgium, the meaning of this Brain Cell was easily understood.

Centrality has always been a fundamental aspect of Belgium’s identity where the 3 great cultural traditions have met – the Latin on the south side, the Germanic on the east side, and the Anglo-Saxon on the north side. Nowadays Belgium has established itself as a political hub of Europe, accommodating such institutions as the European Parliament, the European commission and N.A.T.O. This node is clearly recognizable in the sky-images of highways that cross the country in all directions, and the cultural diversity of the Belgian inhabitants.

All these elements have been the key issues for Belgium’s success and transformed Belgium into a fertile, creative and resourceful country driven by a spirit of openness and tolerance.

Interior and program

All the internal functions required for the pavilion are organized in 2 main levels.

* The ground floor is dedicated entirely to the main exposition hall (both for Belgium and Europe) and the shop. It also offers circulation space and includes some technical rooms.
* The first floor consists of the restaurant, the VIP/business center and the terrace. Diverse spaces on the 1st level have been organized in an L-shaped volume suspended around the ‘Brain Cell’.

In the organization of the pavilion, the ‘Brain Cell’ will serve as the main access and distribution point linking all the different internal spaces. However, its main purpose is to be an iconic element that invites the visitors of the Expo into a powerful and unique emotional and spatial voyage.

In this central space, the visitors will depart in an empiric journey through the colors, sounds and images that create the collective emotional identity of Belgium. The ‘Brain Cell’ will be the unifying element that regulates the general atmosphere of the pavilion, using light and sounds to change from a serene and quiet mood to a more colorful and festive environment.

The design of the ‘Brain Cell’ was conceived in a way that does not reduce the flexibility of the exposition hall. Thereby, additional elements can be integrated according to the needs of the entities present at EXPO2010.

Illumination

To materialize the brain cell inside the pavilion, a synthetic textile material, fully recyclable, will be used, allowing light to pass through and project the shadows of visitors ‘traveling’ inside.

Since the EXPO 2010 will remain open until 23 o’clock, the shape of the Brain Cell was conceived in such a way that it can be emphasized with internal and projected lighting.

This will create a multitude of visual effects echoing the Clair-Obscur movement and the traditional Chinese shadow theater which will be visible from the main public spaces in front of the pavilion.

Façades

The façades will be composed of materials that also allow the pavilion to have multiple perceptions.

* The north façade, facing the main pedestrian access, will remain completely transparent in order to enhance the presence of the brain cell and exploit its visual impact during day and night. This transparency will also invite visitors and highlight the internal installations. Nevertheless the north façade will be protected by sun shadings where necessary.
* Both for energetic and architectural reasons, the 3 other façades will be more compact. These will be covered with a metallic mesh grating, slightly stretched to the outer side to create more dynamism.

Materials

Our architectural approach aims to maximize the presence of the Belgian Pavilion in the context of the EXPO 2010.

However, since the pavilion is an ephemeral construction, optimized construction techniques and a variety of easily accessible materials will be used. These can be assembled in a very short time-frame, while at the same time allowing a great variety of visual effects and the constant renewal of the public’s interest in the pavilion.

The selection of materials used for this pavilion construction follows a strategy that aims to have both a cultural and ecological significance for Belgium and China. The construction materials that are used are widely present in both countries’ economies.

Credits:

Competition – design, realization, maintenance and disassembling of the Belgian pavilion for the Universal Exposition 2010 in Shanghai

Client: Belgian Commissioner-General

EXPO 2010 – buildings agency

Design Date: 2008

Start Construction: 2009

Delivery Date: 2010

Site: Shanghai (China)

Surface: 5 250 m2

Team: JV Realys (AOS China) – Interbuild

I.C.W. Conix Architects, Jan Hoet jr. (scenographer), JNC international (landscape architect), 3E (energy consultant) and CJI (local contractor)

Conix team: Christine Conix, Fabien Dautrebande, Pedro Miguel Monteiro de Sousa, David Rato, Jan Jespers, Steven Simons

For further information about the Belgium Pavilion visit: www.shanghaiexpo2010.be.