A Hybrid Construct of Technology and Nature

The winners of the two-stage competition launched in 2006 by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Presence Switzerland in connection with EXPO 2010 Shanghai were Buchner Bründler Architects and Element GmbH with their innovative concept for the Pavilion. Their design won the favour of the jury owing to its representativeness, its originality and its ability to provide first-hand experience of sustainability and to arouse emotions.

From an architectural point of view, the official Swiss Pavilion embodies the symbiosis between town and country. It is a hybrid construct of technology and nature that combines town and country in a perfect balance.

Urbanity and Rurality

The structure of the building comprises a vast planted roof and two load-bearing cylinders. Two cylinders inside the Pavilion and the underside of the roof encompass the urban area. Together with the flow of visitors through the exhibition areas in the cylinder and along various ramp levels, the multifunctional stage and the restaurant, this urban area will be deliberately isolated, physically and acoustically. With its hard, rough floor and its characteristics such as noise, shade, activity and constant movement, it corresponds to the Chinese “yin”. The planted roof with its gently undulating topography is a complementary contrast to the urban area; this open, bright and peaceful landscape corresponds to the Chinese “yang”. The element that links the two areas is a chair-lift that transports visitors away from urban pressures into the lightness of nature and back again.

Harmonious Interaction between Urban and Rural Areas

The harmonious interaction between urban and rural areas is symbolised by the circular communication between the two. Visitors are led from the urban to the rural area and back again via a double-helix system of ramps as well as the circular chair-lift.