Tag Archives: Shanghai Expo

May 24 2011

The Seed Cathedral

I blogged some time ago about the fantastic UK Pavilion at the China Expo. It was lovingly known as the Seed Cathedral – and really was something the UK could be proud of (which cynically I thought made a change!)

This week I was trawling TED – which s much better than the TV most of the time! And I came across a talk by Thomas Heatherwick – the Architect who designed the Pavilion. The talk meanders around some of his other fascinating projects before explaining the theory behind the Seed Cathedral. If you have a spare 15 minutes and are interested in Architecture it is well worth a look. You can find the video here. Unfortunately TED don’t let me embed videos as Youtube do…

Jan 5 2011

The highlights of 2010

I’m not a great fan of looking back – but after my blog post yesterday I perhaps I ought, so for fun here’s my very own highlights of 2010…

The China Expo Guards!

1. Favourite Building – The UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo. Just utterly brilliant. Will remain with me for some time to come. The Expo was a great experience generally (as was the trip to Ningbo) and for once the UK didn’t embarrass us – which it could have easily done!

2. Favourite Album – Always a difficult one, but judging by the number of plays on itunes, it looks like The Coral’s Butterfly House. I have played it to death, and it is only in the last few weeks I have replaced it with The Promise from Springsteen.

3. Best Gig – A very tough one, as The Isle of Wight always features highly, but I think from re-living memories of the late 1970′s I think it may have been The Stranglers at Rock City. Just brilliant and music from my formative years. And followed very closely by Squeeze at The Nottingham Concert Hall.

4. Proudest Moment(s) – being asked by my little girl’s (now) fiance if he could marry my daughter Jade. I felt very proud – but old… I said yes! The Wedding is planned for August 2011. I am going to be broke. But also Jak, my youngest passing his test was a high point too. And Adam appearing in a film – hopefully hitting the silver screen in 2011 will be good!

5. Best Corporate Event – Our Little Britain 2010 yacht race. You might recall we came second (to last) but we have a great time. There is no better place than the Isle of Wight to race yachts. Great fun and great company.

6. Best Gadget – Another tough one – and choice between my Apple ipad and the Panasonic GF1 camera with 20mm lens. Both deserve a mention and I’m not sure I can pick. If I was forced … no, I can’t choose!

7. Funniest TV – without a doubt The Inbetweeners. Brilliantly written and superbly executed. Cringeworthy throughout which makes it very funny.

8. Funniest Live show – Eddie “never put a sock in a toaster” Izzard. Full stop. Funny @ full bore.

Oct 29 2010

The sun sets on the China Expo 2010

This weekend sees the doors of the World Expo in Shanghai bolted shut. The six month exhibition closes on Sunday – after 6 frenetic months.

The London Pavilion at the China Expo 2010

My visit to the Expo at the end of August was an amazing experience – which I will remember for a long time to come. I blogged about this a lot whilst I was in China – my last blog and summary was here.

The figures look good for the UK. On average the Pavilion got 45,000 visitors per day – every day! This was out of the total 71m visitors.

Importantly, China’s perception of the UK has been favourable. Research by The British Council through their web site suggested that 82% of visitors had their perceptions changed – and that 99% we positively changed. What about the 1%? We need to try harder next time…

The Seed rods inside the pavilion

My lasting impression of the show will be the British Pavilion – known as ‘The Seed Cathedral”. I had a great fear that I was going cringe at our ‘entry’ in a Eurovison fashion! But it wasn’t. It was utterly brilliant. Clever, informative, subtle and stunning. The Chinese nicknamed it PuGongYing – roughly translated into ‘dandelion’. I was more on the Porcupine label.

It was designed by Thomas Heatherwick after a design competition. He is to be congratulated on a great advert for the UK.

The really clever part is that the 60,000 fibre-optic seed rods are to be sent to schools all over China as part of an educational project on climate change. So there will be a lasting legacy from what was always going to be a temporary building.

Aug 30 2010

Shanghai 2010 – The World Expo

As I blogged earlier, my last day at the conference gave me an opportunity to have a look around the Expo site. Like most things here in Shanghai there aren’t sufficient superlatives – it is vast. Some of the Pavilions are whacky, big and bizarre. Or one from three of these!

The UK Pavilion at the Expo - a square hedgehog?

It was my intention to see the UK Pavilion – having travelled so far – and it is certainly different. It has been nicknamed “The Hedgehog” – as it is made up of thousands of perspex ‘needles’, which penetrate the core. Inside at the end of the needle is a seed of some description… It is slightly odd, but works quite well. As to what it is all about – I think that is up to you. People were queuing for around 2 hours to see it though. We timed it perfectly as we had just finished inside when a foreign dignitary arrived – and they effectively close the place down.

One wall at the Italian Pavilion!

We had a great lunch in the Italian Pavilion adjacent the UK offering. Pasta and risotto is different from all the other food you get here! That too was good, with emphasis on Italian design – there is Ferrari California, some Vitra furniture, Zegna clothes and lots of pasta. This was much larger than the Uk offering, but was more about content than building design. It was also very busy – the car in particular drawing lots of attention!

The China Pavilion - towering above everything!

We then saw the China Pavilion, which comprised a number of smaller pavilions within – each of which had its own queue! This particular pavilion (and the London Zed House) will be kept that Expo site after the exhibition finishes. Everything else gets demolished! The Pavilion is a vast structure – Pagoda shaped and bright red. It is a useful reference point on the site as it towers over everything else! Inside was a showcase on the advances China has made – particularly in technology. Some of the displays were very clever particularly in imaging technology.

Then there was the interesting Iran pavilion – which was slightly odd – and more about propaganda than a celebration. The models of their nuclear power stations were interesting! Anyone seen any WMD anywhere?

We had done well, seeing this many pavilions as some of the queues are very long! But we failed to get into the Japanese Pavilion which showed a five and a half hour wait. Apparently Robots play the violin inside. We had been told that this was a ‘must’, but the queue pushed it out of reach.

And that was it, it didn’t rain like the first night, but it was hot and sticky. I am glad I saw the UK pavilion. But I wonder about the actual Expo. The infrastructure is huge – roads, bridges, water crossings. And for a six month show. They expect to get 70 million visitors, but the majority of this thing gets demolished. So I come away admiring some of the quirky ‘architecture’ but really wondering ‘why’?

Aug 29 2010

Shanghai – Day four – the conference closes

The second day of the Nottingham City Council and University of Nottingham Conference took place in the London Zed Pavilion at Expo 2010. The weather has pretty much been the same for the last 48 hours – 32 degrees and 80% humidity.

I stayed for three keynote speeches today.

Firstly Peter Walden from Carbonlow in Derbyshire explained the background to the UK’s carbon emission reduction programme, primarily in terms of the legislative framework. He also highlighted some of the challenges the UK will face in meeting the targets set – primarily that we shall be building zero carbon houses by 2016 and commercial property by 2019.

Then Professor Mark Gillott from The University of Nottingham explained the Nottingham H.O.U.S.E project. House stands for House Optimising the Use of Solar Energy. The challenge was to enter a competition in Madrid and build the house in three days. It had to reach certain criteria – but also had to be capable of being dismantled and shipped back to the UK. It is going to be installed on the University Campus. What I found really interesting about this talk was the way in which we have changed our consumption of energy – at the turn of the last century consumption was principally on heating; now it is on power for equipment!

The third talk was from Jo Darkwa – from the Ningbo Campus of the University – he spoke about the Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies – “CSET”. This was useful as my next stop is Ningbo – and hopefully a look at the centre!

And with that, my part of the conference closed – there were some further talks, but these were aimed at ‘manufacturers’. And this was my last opportunity to see the Expo…

More on the second part of my day later!

Aug 28 2010

Shanghai – DAY THREE – Conference

The City of Shanghai was veiled in a murky warm cloak this morning – which didn’t really change all day. The temperature remained at a constant 29 degrees. It was sticky!

The London Zed House - zero carbon!

This was the first day of the Conference hosted by The University of Nottingham and Nottingham City Council. And the venue was the London Zed House in the Expo site. After a brief queue we were in the site and I started to realise the enormity of the place. It was suggested by one of the delegates that 500,000 people had visited on Friday – the highest number yet for a single day!

Prof. Saffa Riffat opened the conference with a theme. Mass Urbanisation is the greatest challenge the human race faces. In context 900 million Chinese people will live in Cities by 2020 – the shift is away from the countryside. This has a massive impact on society – particularly in relation to CO2 emissions.

The former MP for Nottingham, Alan Simpson then asked if we really could redesign the future. The UK have introduced a Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) and people who overspend will be fined. Then there is the issue of new builds – and how we ensure that these comply with Zero Carbon emissions in the future. The technology is already in place, but we build around 250,000 houses each year. There are 25 million other houses.

In a nod to the Opium Wars in Shanghai, Alan likened our buildings to being ‘drug dependent’. Each needing a daily fix of air-conditioning or heat or power.

The final question was that we have the technology now, but we need to change behaviour. In other words – can we redesign ourselves?

Julian Marsh then took to the podium and shared experience so the Meadows in Nottingham – where he has a house and where he is building some new houses for Blueprint, one of my clients. The Meadows has had its fair share of troubles – not least of which there is high fuel poverty (where at least 10% of income is spent on energy). There have been a number of projects which are trying to introduce green technologies – including retro-fitting Photo-Voltaic Cells. The interesteing note was that with some Grant Aid and Feed In Tariff’s the money gained back from the energy companies is used for the local community – and spent on local projects.

Kevin Kendall from The Birmingham University shared some astonishing statistics – 96% of the Worlds electric bikes are in China. In 2006 there were 10m. Today there are 100m… His point was that there is a move away from the combustion engine toward electricity – but the the battery technology is still in its infancy. Typically electric battery cars can only do journeys of c.55-80 miles. But hydrogen fuel cells are being tested and these have a better return – up to 300 miles. But we also have to resolve the charging time – which can be 5 hours or more.

Abu Bakr Bahaj from Southampton showed us some interesting tips about PV’s – notably about solar shading – a particular problem in Shanghai – where buildings are next to each other.

There were some speakers from Ningbo too – but more of that in a later blog!

Tonight there is a Banquet, so more food. And I fancy a pizza – but have a feeling that may not be on the menu.

Aug 27 2010

Shanghai – day 2 – an amazing place….

My second day in China, started with sorting out some very wet clothes from last nights attempt to see some of the Expo. Even my jeans had to go to the Laundry – they would never have dried on their own!

After some “housework”, I set off for The Peoples Square and found what I had been looking for – Starbucks. And it is quite similar to back home – except my Grande Cappucino was swapped for an Iced Cappucino – for obvious reasons – it was 33 degrees outside.

Then I headed for the Shanghai Urban Design Centre – which shows in Architectural models the growth of the City. One model takes up a whole floor – and gives you an impression of just how big this place really is. And it is still growing…by the minute!

The model of the City - my hotel on the right...

I had arranged to meet a number of Nottingham folks at lunchtime – and we met in a fantastic bar on “The Bund” – a roof terrace with stunning views of the River and Pudong. The lack of rain helped! “Club Sandwich” is a traditional Chinese dish, so, reluctantly, I went with it. With Lager. And chips.

The afternoon was fascinating – we had a walking tour with Benson Lau, an Architect from Hong Kong originally but now working in Nottingham and living about a mile from my home (in the UK…). We walked into Old Shanghai – a very different place to the high-rise of the Bund and of Pudong. He took us to Yu Gardens which were an oasis in a sea of madness. They ooze tranquility. We were given an insight into some of the clever design tricks used 400 years ago – they really were clever designers, looking at ergonomics particularly.

But the highlight – which surprised me was a visit to a tea house in the gardens. I normally preach that tea is a drink with milk and sugar and all that other stuff is for girls. But I was painted in a corner and had a choice – go thirsty or try it. No milk and no sugar in sight. Nor a mug – just a thimble full. And we tried – Jasmine, Flower Tea (which was spectacular in looks), Ginseng, Lychee and Dragon Well. The latter being the most expensive. The Chinese treat tea like we treat Whiskey. My favourite was Lychee, which tasted better than it smelled. Not one of our group really agreed on a particular though! It was truly an experience – and lasted about an hour.

Next up was a ferry ride across the Huangpu River to Pudong and the dizzy heights of The Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Centre. These buildings have vied for the highest building spot, currently in Shanghai, it the latter at 101 storeys. But both are to be eclipsed by a new tower, just starting at 150 stories…

Cappuccino in the 56th floor of the Jinmao was amazing -if only for the view up of the rest of this 88 storey beast! The WTC building is a little brash and looks like a bottle opener, but the Jinmao is really quite stunning. It is based on the figure 8 – which is lucky in Chinese. It also costs Y1m per day to run!

Jinmao left and WTC right - both vertigo inducing?

There was some research done in the 1990′s that Pudong was sinking at a rate of just over 1m every decade. As Shanghai on average os only between 3 and 4m above sea level this is somewhat disconcerting. I have a feeling that the conference tomorrow may well touch on this. The rate of sinking has now slowed, but the rate of building certainly hasn’t. This is an area of pure decadence – a completely eclectic mix of styles and with very little respect of each other. Master-planning this is not.

So my ‘easy day’ was drawing to a close, before the conference on Saturday & Sunday.

Jazz in Peace - no that's not right...

But the evening was certainly different – in the Jazz Bar at the Peace Hotel on the Bund. Our table had been booked two weeks previously, such is the popularity of the place. It was like going back in time – the bar started in the 1930′s and I think there are some of the original band members. But the company was good and it was another new experience for me. If I’m honest it’s not my sort of music, I left “Oh when the Saints..” some time a go, but the musicians were extremely talented.

A nightcap on another terrace bar on The Bund was the final act of the day – barring my taxi ride back to the hotel – an expensive £3.60. I keep having to double-check – the transport is really that cheap!

Tomorrow I have the Expo to look forward too; I hope it’s not raining – my shoes are still wet from the rain 24 hours ago!

Jul 7 2010

British Airways – offers galore…

I have travelled a couple of times with BA, but not recently. But they have my email address – and have been badgering me…lots. I had three emails in one 24 hour period at the weekend. I feel a bit bullied again!

There are ‘offers’ and things I just can’t afford to miss. And a tie up with Comic Relief, so I can fly and give to Charity.

I blogged about BA before and think that their days are numbered.

No matter how many offers they send me I wouldn’t risk flying with them. Even though the Industrial action might be stopping, I don’t trust them to actually get me there! I can’t face the prospect of having to rearrange travel plans at short notice.

I could have booked with them on my upcoming trip to Shanghai, in fact their seats are £200 cheaper than Virgin Atlantic. But the risk is too high.

I am not happy that the National Carrier is not my first choice, but Virgin have never let me down. Their service is great and reliable.

I think this strike has done BA a significant amount of harm. Industrial Action just makes people find alternatives – like the postal strike last year.

I wonder when the Unions will wake up to this?

Jul 1 2010

Shanghai briefing

Shanghai has 116,000 millionaires. And Louis Vuitton has the largest luxury store in China in the City. Piers Morgan showcased the City on Tuesday evening on his show. It looked a amazing! (I wasn’t sure about the red wine and coke drink that is favoured).

The Huxinting Tea House - Starbucks for China?

I went to a briefing last week – in preparation for my forthcoming visit to the World Expo in late August 2010. It was in interesting insight into what is in store for my week-long trip.

Some of the speakers have already visited the Expo site – queues of 6 hours are apparently normal for some of the pavilions – notably the Saudi Arabia ‘entry’. The London Pavilion is regarded as the first zero carbon building in Shanghai. It is also a ‘legacy building’, meaning it will remain at the end of the Expo – unlike many fo the buildings which will be bulldozed.

20 million people have now visited the Expo site – with over 500,000 now visiting each day! 70 million are expected to have gone through the turnstiles by the time it finishes at the end of October.

It seems entirely appropriate that Shanghai was chosen for the Expo. It is set to be the gateway for the world and to the world. With a GDP of $218bn it really does have ambitions to be noticed on the world stage. The growth rate in China was an impressive 11.9% last year. The middle classes are becoming ‘brand conscious’ – hence the growth of Louis Vuitton and the like!

I was warned that ‘shopping’ isn’t really an option for westerners. The import tax is high and goods are often twice the price we pay back home. I guess it makes a change from being in ‘rip off Britain‘? I also guess I won’t be shopping much.

As Piers Morgan pointed out at the end of his show a recent survey suggested that 83% of Shanghai residents believe that tomorrow will be better than today… no wonder they are growing at pace. They have a confidence and belief we could learn from.

Jun 6 2010

It’s a small world?

I blogged last year about Minsk and an offer I had to go in late January. For various reasons I was unable to – most due to work commitments. Although such overseas trips involve ‘work’ I do have a day job – which by all accounts is pretty much UK based.

Nottingham in Ningbo

I am still fascinated by Univest’s proposals to create a district for 21,000 people – the work is anticipated to start this year. You can read all about the proposals here. It looks an amazing scheme. The only downside is that it’s quite cold there in the winter! The scale of these projects amazes me.

At MIPIM this year (also ‘work’!) we met up with the Mayor and his Officers from Krasnodar – and that too looks a fascinating place. We have a strategic alliance with them – and again, it is somewhere I would like to see. In particular the architecture is fantastic. Krasnodar are looking for help from UK professionals as they grow their City. It is hoped that the City will have a trip there later in the year. We were certainly made to feel welcome when we met up at MIPIM.

But my latest invite is to the Shanghai Expo at the end of August. The first World Expo was held in the UK at Crystal Palace. The UK have a Pavilion at the Expo – which looks stunning (as indeed do most of the pavilions). Nottingham are taking a delegation – which also includes a trip to Ningbo and the University of Nottinghams ‘twin’ campus. It’s a long way to go, but is very tempting, especially to see the University. They have invited me several times, but I have never really had the reason to go.

Is this it? I will let you know…