STATES OF ARCHITECTURE IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY. NEW DIRECTIONS FROM THE SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO

Expo 2010 Shanghai is the most ambitious World Expo to date, designed to welcome more than 70 million visitors. It boasts a remarkable collection of pavilions that represent the ambitions of individual nations as well as a collective vision for cities in the new millennium. Together, these buildings constitute a cross-section of contemporary trends by some of the world's leading architects, showcasing a full spectrum of cutting-edge technology, building materials and design sensibilities. This book captures this extraordinary architectural event with the eloquent photography of Nic Lehoux coupled with the critical insights of Rodolphe el-Khoury and Andrew Payne. The thorough documentation includes detailed photographic records and plans of the various architectural features and of the public spaces and landscapes that bind them into a unique environment. The accompanying text situates the event in a longstanding tradition of international exhibitions while underscoring the particular geographic, cultural and political aspects of contemporary China that shape the Shanghai Expo and its guiding theme 'Better City - Better Life'.