the dutch pavilion for shanghai expo 2010 has been designed by architect john kormeling.
the 5,000-square-meter structure called 'happy street', consists of twenty-six
small houses elevated along the expo's main pedestrian strip that curves
in a figure eight - a lucky number in china. happy street is mixed with different
types of buildings like a house, a shop, a factory, an office, a farm, a petrol station,
a sport field, a garage, forms the condition for a social life. the main building is
a yellow colored tulip - a symbol of the netherlands.
each house explore themes such as energy, water, space and other urban issues.
in response to the chinese expo theme 'better city, better life' the sub-themes of
the design include:
- urban cultural diversity
- urban economic growth and prosperity
- innovation in science and technology in urban contexts
- re-modelling urban communities
