On March 28th, France unveiled a national pavilion for the 2010 World Exp: the project of Jacques Ferrier. The administration council officially designated the architect and his team on March 18, 2008.

The final design ‘the Sensual City,’ selected from 49 candidates, presented a simple building with a big French-style garden inside. Surrounded by water, it appears to be floating, said Jose Freches, president of COFRES, the company in charge of France’s participation.

The model of the selected design has been on display in the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, along with other three prize-awarded works in the design competition of France Pavilion.

The pavilion provides a unique opportunity to reinforce France’s image in China. All the talents and financial forces will be gathered to make it real, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a statement when he decided to pick this design.

The project is unique in terms of both form and technologies. It will present France’s contribution in the sustainable urban development for one of the biggest economic metropolises in the planet, Sarkozy said.

The pavilion would use the most advanced building materials and environmental protection technology. It will be a shining example of energy efficiency and recycling techniques, according to the official Website of French Pavilion.

The French Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo prepares to offer dream weddings for 2,010 couples during the six-month event, and online applications will start in late May, Jean Germain, Mayor of the French city of Tours announced on the 2nd of May in Shanghai.

Couples will tie the knot inside classical French-style gardens in the pavilion, Germain said at a ceremony marking the start of the event. Tours has operated several group weddings for Chinese couples since 2007.

French actor Alain Delon will witness some of the weddings as he is the World Expo 2010 ambassador for France.

The weddings will run through the Expo and special activities are being planned for June 21, 2010, the national day of the French Pavilion, said Zhu Zhengping, CEO of Shanghai Sinnsa, which takes charge of the promotion and organizing of the event in China.

The 6,000-square-meter pavilion will showcase the sights, smells, tastes, sounds, feel and glamor of France, promising a sensual experience, as well as one that makes people think about what a ‘good life’ should really mean.

Restaurants at the pavilion will offer the best of French cooking in an outdoor setting, with flowing water, singing birds, fragrant flowers and marvelous food.