The first World Exposition was held in London in 1851, in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Ever since this origin in the age of industrialization, World Expos have presented the scientific and technological achievements of their times representative examples being Joseph Paxtons Crystal Palace and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Worlds Fair is also said to be a response to the development of commerce and manufacturing that resulted from a population explosion and its concentration in cities and to the growth in international trade that accompanied advances in transportation systems. The host cities of past Expos parlayed economic success into successful invitations, and developed further as a result of the Expos.
Notable examples include London, Paris, Chicago and Osaka.And in 2010, Shanghai.

This issue features the World Expo currently underway in Shanghai. It introduces 34 pavilions newly photographed after the opening on May 1, with detailed information from the participating architects.

It also introduces some projects recently completed in Beijing, with an essay discussing developer-architect dynamics in the socio-political context. In addition to the large-scale projects that fascinated the world during the 2008 Olympic Games, mediumand small-scale buildings are going up rapidly. Together with the mega-event Expo 2010 Shanghai, we introduce the practice of Chinese architects who are grappling honestly with conditions in their city. (a+u)

Map of Expo 2010 Shanghai

Essay: Focus on Livable Cities: Concern with Harmonic Development Summary of the Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Zeng Qun

Heatherwick Studio
UK Pavilion

Benedetta Tagliabue
Spanish Pavilion

BIG
Danish Pavilion

Helen & Hard
Norwegian Pavilion

SPAN and Zeytinoglu Architects, Austrian Pavilion
He Jing Tang, Pan Gong Kai, Huang Jian Cheng, Yao Kai Yang, Lu Chuan etc.,Chinese Pavilion
Tams Lvai, Hungarian Pavilion / Zaha Hadid, Egyptian Pavilion
Buchner Brndler Architects, Swiss Pavilion
Shigeru Ban Architects, Paper Theater, Japan Industry Pavilion
Schmidhuber + Kaindl, German Pavilion
John Krmeling, Dutch Pavilion / Sweco, Swedish Pavilion
SBA Architects, Expo Boulevard (Expo Axis)
P.A.P. ER architectural team, Russian Pavilion
Kay Ngee Tan Architects, Singapore Pavilion / Haim Dotan, Israeli Pavilion
Giampolo Imbrighi, Italian Pavilion / Foster and Partners, UAE Pavilion
Sabbagh Arquitectos, Chilean Pavilion / AET- Arhitektid, Estonian Pavilion
WWA Architects, Polish Pavilion
Warren and Mahoney Architects, New Zealand Pavilion
Wood/Marsh, Australian Pavilion
Government of Canada and Cirque du Soleil, Canadian Pavilion
Slot, Mexican Pavilion / Franois Valentiny, Luxembourg Pavilion
Nihon Sekkei, Japanese Pavilion
Natalija Miodragovic and Darko Kovacev, Serbian Pavilion

JKMM Architects
Finnish Pavilion

Jacques Ferrier
French Pavilion

Mass Studies
Korean Pavilion

Feature: Architecture in Beijing
Essay: Becoming Beijing: Developer-Architect Dynamics inSocio-Political Context
Ling Fan, Cressica Brazier, Tat Lam

MAD architects
Hutong Bubble 32

Approach Architecture Studio
Iberia Center for Contemporary Art

EXH design
Embassy of Switzerland, Extension of Visa Section

WSP Architects
Courtyard Suites of Spring Valley Resort

Li Hua / TAO
TAO Architects Office

Xiao Wei Ma / MASAA
Living in Heaven