The official opening ceremony by Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Máxima, in the presence of Mayor Aboutaleb, will take place on 18 May

Story
Both the spatial and narrative design of the Rotterdam Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai are devised by TomDavid Architects. In essence the design is an abstract representation of the city, a dike, the river and the harbour, with water as the binding element. Central component of the design is the specially developed water printer. Together they depict a typical Rotterdam solution to the issue of heavy rainfall and subsequent rise of the city’s water level.
 
The implementation of the design is characterised by three materials and functions: sailcloth [information and image], concrete [shape] and steel [construction and décor]. The robust simplicity of the design, combined with the water-show induced great enthusiasm in the 1 million plus visitors.

Facts
Project name: World Expo Shanghai
Location: Shanghai [China]
Exhibition space: 400 m2
Client: Rotterdam Climate Initiative & City of Rotterdam
Completion: 2010
 
Credits
Design team: Tom van Odijk, David Baars
Graphic design: Ping Pong Design
Curator: Richard Ouwerkerk