swiss pavilion at shanghai world expo 2010

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buchner brundler architects are the designers behind the swiss pavilion at the shanghai world expo 2010. representative of modern switzerland, this architectural structure symbolizes the technological insight and dreams of the country, including the pursuit of excellence, innovation and high-quality life, as well as their forward looking attitude toward sustainable development.

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the most distinguished feature of the swiss pavilion is the chair lift ride. the journey takes about 10 minutes. the chair lift takes people up and out to the roof garden from the inside of the pavilion. the chairs are sheltered to ensure operation during rainy weather.

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the interactive, intelligent facade enveloping the pavilion is a curtain of woven aluminium elements under which visitors pass to access the urban area on the ground floor of the building. LED lights comprised of an energy source, a storage unit and a consuming unit are incorporated into the facade. the energy produced is made visible in the form of flashes that are triggered by the pavilion surroundings, such as the sun or flashes made by visitor cameras. thanks to the storage of energy in each individual cell, the facade is also active at night, when the cells trigger each other.

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the design concept is visible in a mix of many contradictory elements, the chinese philosophy of ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ is well reflected in the entire building, to achieve a combination of high-tech and nature. image © designboom

for a sightseeing experience of the classic swiss scenery, visitors can get to the roof via a cable car. the chair lift will lift visitors from the ground floor where the exhibition focuses on swiss urban civilization to the roof where a tranquil space far away from the crowd is provided. during the journey, 50 binocular stations set up along the ramp will provide visitors with three-dimensional glimpses of swiss success stories.

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at the top end of the ramp of the exhibition area, visitors can see a 10-meter-high projection screen in the atrium. the IMAX film ‘the alps’ showcasing swiss mountain scenery is projected.

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © iwan baan image courtesy of buchner bründler architects

top view rendering

chair lift rendering

chair lift rendering