Britain has chosen a fascinating cube design with space-age lighting for its national pavilion at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, British Consul-General in Shanghai Carma Elliot announced yesterday.

The Pavilion of Ideas, designed by Heatherwich Studio, beat five other short-listed designs, including plans put forward by the creators of the London Eye - the largest Ferris wheel in the world.

The design was also voted the favorite by Shanghai residents who visited an exhibition of the six finalists' designs in the city last month, said Elliot.

The pavilion looks like a box with thousands of spines that hover without visible support above a public square.

All the spines, which sway in the breeze, are tipped with tiny colored lights that can display a variety of images.

"The image can be changed every day or every week. If people love to see David Beckham, we will show Beckham's picture. If Louis Hamilton wins the F1 Championship, maybe we will show Hamilton," said Elliot.

Inside the pavilion, visitors will see an enormous digital screen showing various images. Outside the pavilion will be an exhibition space and auditorium, with a cafe and shops surrounded by two ramparts of grass.

The pavilion will be as ecological as possible, and the designers are trying to make all the aspects recyclable and carbon-neutral. It is light, without heavy concrete foundations, and will "touch the ground softly," according to the introduction by Heatherwich.

Elliot said the pavilion will have unique effects in the daytime, although it will become much more exciting at night.

(Shanghai Daily September 22, 2007)