2010's new buzzword: Pavilion

What's that fuzzball a picture of? It's the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, set to open on May 1st for six month's time. Wonder what it is? Check this video:


Pretty fancypants presentation there (did anyone else get a flashback to Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey?). Expo 2010 Shanghai (the official name, as it's the first Expo focusing on a particular city) is actually going to cost more than the Beijing Olympics, coming in at $4.2 billion. Countries and their industries are pushing hard for a piece of the China pie. Check out some of these amazing pavilion concepts for different countries. It's no surprise corporations are getting in on the act for themselves as well.

The Saudi Arabi Pavilion is the most expensive, set to cost $146M. It's a "moon boat" surrounded by deserts and seas, just like Saudi Arabia. $146 extra large for a moon boat isn't how I'd spend that money, but it sounds appropriate enough. The Saudis have stated there is no budget limit on their pavilion, essentially ensuring they win the category of most expensive. Randomly, this rendering reminds me of an arcology from the old SimCity games.



Not to be outdone, Japan's Pavilion, set to cost $140M, is "a lilac cocoon from high-tech breathable material, populated by violin-playing robots." Violin playing robots!?!?! Uh, ok, I'll bite:



It's shaping up to be an interesting summer for the world's attention. The first World Cup in Africa will occur at the same time as the first World Expo in China (as well as the first to be in a developing country). Based on the money countries are shelling out on their Pavilions, the official tagline for the Expo might be changed from "Better City, Better Life" to "Better Pavilion, Better Business."