Canada unveils its national pavilion design
on January 22, 2008. [Photo: cns]
Expo draws closer as construction starts at the Puxi side of the
Shanghai Expo site where 51 old buildings will undergo a facelift,
and Canada reveals its novel pavilion design to the world.
The first phase of Puxi's Expo construction includes building
three roads - Longhua Road E., Bansongyuan Road and Baotun Road -
as well as a pumping station on Mengzi Road. The site is close to
the Nanpu Bridge.
The Expo team will build another 53 buildings in Puxi as well as
revamping the 51 old factories or historic houses, making the west
bank of the Huangpu River a model of historic architecture.
The Expo's Puxi side will cover 1.35 square kilometers and will
be the center for 16 corporate pavilions, cultural performances and
the Urban Best Practices Area, one of the highlights of the 2010
World Expo.
The construction involves revamping the workshops at the
100-year-old Nanshi Power Plant which closed in September. When
completed, this will host the Exploration of Future Cities
exhibition.
Above the workshops, the organizers are planning to transform a
165-meter chimney into a state-of-the-art observation tower.
The 142-year-old Jiangnan Shipyard, also on the Puxi site, will
become a performance center.
The site will also feature 22 major outdoor squares for cultural
performances, an elevated pedestrian road and part of the Expo
Boulevard.
And Canada unveiled its national pavilion design in
collaboration with Cirque du Soleil yesterday, signing its
participation contract in the city.
The 6,000-square-meter Canada Pavilion, one of the largest
pavilions in the Expo, will feature an exhibition themed "The
Living City: Inclusive, Sustainable, Creative."
The size of the pavilion will be equal to two and a half NHL
hockey rinks, said Susan Gregson, Canada's Consul General in
Shanghai. It is expected to attract up to 5.5 million people or
30,000 visitors per day during the six-month Expo period.
The pavilion consists of three large structures surrounding a
large open square where visitors waiting to enter can watch
performances by Cirque du Soleil, Gregson said.
The overall budget for the Canadian Pavilion will be C$45
million (US$43.57 million), she said.
Canada has given special attention to the environment in its
pavilion design. Part of the pavilion's exterior walls will be
covered by a special kind of greenery and rainwater will be
collected for use inside the pavilion.
Canada is the 11th country to sign a participation contract for
the Shanghai World Expo.
(Shanghai Daily January 23, 2008)
