German Pavilion - "Balancity", a City in Balance

For the Expo, the Federal Republic of Germany is presenting itself as a multifaceted nation rich in ideas. As an innovative, forward-looking country that also places great value on the preservation of its roots and heritage. Diversity and balance, rather than ‘sameness’, are vital to tomorrow’s cities. The interplay between the diversity and contrasts of German cities enables a very special quality of life and vitality to emerge. This is why it seems it is essential to preserve this diversity – without forgoing innovation and technology.

The name of the German Pavilion is “balancity”, a newly coined word combining “balance” and “city” : a city in balance between renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, society and its individuals, work and recreation, and finally, between globalisation and national identity. This central idea can be directly experienced by visitors everywhere in the German pavilion. Visitors to the German Pavilion will embark on a journey through “balancity”, moving around as they would in a city – on foot, moving walkways and escalators – through thematic areas representing different urban spaces. The journey starts off in a harbour and leads through a garden, an archive, a factory, an opera house and, finally, the “Energy Source”.

As they make their way through the pavilion, visitors will be accompanied by two protagonists – a young German man who spent a year at a Chinese university as a student and a young Chinese woman. Visitors will join the two young people, who will appear in multimedia form to start with, as they gradually discover the various parts of “balancity”. Along the way, German-made ideas and innovations for solving urban issues will be presented, picking up on the EXPO theme “Better City, Better Life”.

The journey through the pavilion will culminate in a visit to the “Energy Source”, where the two protagonists will appear in the flesh in a five-minute show with an audience capacity of 750. The spectators will become part of the show themselves by making noises and movements to set in motion a 1,000 kg pendulum with a sphere which will be fitted with 30,000 LEDs and have images displayed upon it – making “balancity” a true community experience.

 

The German pavilion as a sculpture
Four large exhibition structures stand as symbols for the interplay between carrying and being carried, between leaning on and supporting. Each individual structure, on its own, is in a somewhat precarious state of balance. It is only in interaction with the other structures that a stable balance is found. This is the concept behind balancity from an architectural perspective. The four structures together create a large roof over the pavilion landscape, offering visitors shade and protecting them from rain. An exciting interplay of interior and exterior spaces, of buildings and nature, of urban and rural landscapes.

Location plan
The pavilion grounds are located in Zone C to the South of the Lupu bridge on Shanghai’s Pudong side, and cover a surface of close to 6,000 square metres. Immediate pavilion neighbours are France, Poland and Switzerland. The four pavilions are grouped around a small EXPO plaza which is intended for events. Each of the four sides of the German pavilion are dedicated to different functions. The South side comprises the infrastructure with service and technical support rooms, and can be reached via a separate access road. The North side is the representative side of the pavilion to be experienced by visitors. The restaurant, the entrance to the exhibition, the souvenir shop and the event space are accessed from the North-West EXPO plaza.

 

 

Rooms and spaces / The visitor’s journey though the German pavilion is a discovery of balancity. The visitor travels through typical urban spaces: rooms for work and thought, spaces for recreation and leisure, rooms to live in and places for culture and community. Visitors travel through, discover and explore balancity’s various rooms and spaces as they would through a city, both actively and passively: at times by foot, and at times via moving walkways. The protagonists Yanyan and Jens – at first virtually – accompany visitors on their journey through the pavilion. Jens, the young German, shares his perspective on Germany with the Chinese student Yanyan and pavilion visitors. The journey through the German pavilion begins outdoors in natural surroundings and then leads into the city, to typical German locations. Short dialogues between Jens and Yanyan underscore German highlights, bringing Germany’s diversity to life in an way that is both informative and entertaining.

Landscape / The point of arrival for pavilion visitors is an accessible terraced landscape. Very large postcards of German landscapes and landmarks from the various federal states – written by Jens to Yanyan – are positioned along the way. The visitors reach the inside of the city, moving past interactive displays, which offer impressions of life in Germany for all the senses. At the same time, these postcards serve as photo-taking points, where even waiting in the queue can turn into an exciting and fascinating discovery tour.

Urban Periphery / The visitors’ path slowly climbs leading to a ramp. Here, aerial shots of typical German urban structures are set in the floor along with displays or interactive exhibit-posts that open up a multitude of impressions – as through a magnifying glass. Via explanatory texts, exciting facts and figures on German cities, the visitors can find out more about the individual images – the sounds, sights, feelings and even the scents of Germany.

Tunnel / In groups of 20, visitors are let into the city. They enter a moving walkway passing through a pulsating tunnel and, via multimedia presentations, they are drawn into a sea of urban images and sounds: trains, cars, buses and loudspeaker announcements interspersed with bird calls, the sounds of a rowboat in motion and children’s laughter.

Harbour / The end of the tunnel opens up onto a deep-blue underwater room where visitors experience the sounds of water, air bubbles and shimmering reflections. They break through the surface of the water above and enter a fascinating futuristic urban environment: the Hamburg harbour with daylight atmosphere, blue sky, the cry of seagulls, people. Spectacular skylines emerge and typical harbour sounds resound. It is not only about renewal here. It is also about preservation, about creating something new on a platform of heritage and tradition.

 

Planning Office / A new, even larger room unfolds out of an urban skyline, with oversized plans, models, sketches and urban plans protruding from the walls and floor – as if drifting in the wind. The theme here is innovative, sustainable urban planning and development, depicting the urban infrastructure as a living process. The plans and sketches evolve and take on further shape. At the end of the room, visions emerge: new types of urban life, ideas on how people of various ages, lifestyles and nationalities could live together in the future. Yanyan and Jens offer insight on these ideas and projects from Germany.

Garden / Moving through a bright sea of flowers radiating energy, power and vitality, the visitor enters balancity’s garden. The room depicts images, sounds and three-dimensional objects, bringing to life the significance of private green spaces and moments of relaxation amidst a modern, pulsating metropolis. As well, children can access the next room via a huge slide.

Depot / A large, dark, red-shimmering room welcomes visitors on their journey through balancity. Shelftype structures reaching up to the ceiling are filled with famous inventions and design products – articles that enhance the quality of life in the city. Here, we present the diversity of German design and technology developments. The visitors then enter a state-of-the-art production hall: the Factory.

Factory / This is a room that is in constant motion. Visitors are led by moving walkways through the factory where conveyors belts cross each other at different levels above them. These are carrying the innovations, the products, the processes created by German companies and institutions. At interactive scanner stations, visitors can find out more about the objects’ functions. Technical information is available as well. A further area of the factory presents futuristic material developments from Germany, where visitors are invited to touch, feel, smell and directly experience these materials.

Park / In clear contrast to the Factory, the urban space that follows radiates peace and serenity: with daylight atmosphere, a fresh breeze, the scent of flowers and birds chirping. “Viewing bells” offering 360° panoramic perspectives are suspended from above, opening the way for visitors to experience public green spaces in German cities.

Behind the Scenes / The journey through the city leads visitors away from the daylight towards an environment with stage lighting. The visitors enter a room full of life behind the stage. A variety of cabinets open up views onto cultural projects, where visitors can experience the significance of culture to urban life.

Opera / In the German pavilion, the Opera is presented as a location where encounters take place, where culture, art and tradition are preserved and evolved. At the entrance to this area, the visitors cross a theatre curtain, and they hear applause. Surprised, they realise they are stan-ding in the middle of a stage with an orchestra pit and a small tribune. They are actually part of the staging in a modern opera performance.

City Centre / Once the visitors leave the Opera, a large room opens up in front of them. They are now at the centre of balancity, in a large square which also serves as a waiting room. This area stretches over many levels. An enormous window, with a semi-transparent membrane, opens up onto a view of the sky and the German pavilion’s front square. The exterior walls show a multitude of images, depicting the personal lives of city dwellers, beginning with close-ups of German living rooms, to views onto buildings and streets, all the way through to public spaces at large events. They communicate the energy, the vitality that arises from the diversity and coexistence of many cultures in Germany – showing the centre of German cities as a meeting point for community, positive feelings and vitality. This is where visitors wait for admission to the show in the Energy Source. The Energy Source is positioned in the cone which mysteriously pulsates in deep red tones at the end of the space. From the inside of the cone, you can hear various sounds and calls, as anticipation and suspense mount.

Energy Source / The Energy Source is where the energy a city needs to live originates. It is the heart of balancity and the ultimate highlight of the German pavilion. Here, the focus is on the visitors. They can control what takes place, thus becoming active players. Through an impressive community experience, they find out that much can be achieved when they move together. The visitor enters an awesome, impressive room filled with an exciting light choreography. Spectators on the galleries look out onto the room’s focal point: a huge sphere. The sphere has a diameter of three metres and its surface is covered with thousands of LEDs, with images, colours, shapes. The sphere acts as an activator of impulses from Germany for EXPO 2010 – ideas that Germany contributes to the Expo’s central “Better City, Better Life” theme. The sphere’s movements and at the same time, impulses, are activated by the visitors, guided by Yanyan and Jens, who virtually accompanied visitors on their journey through balancity and who now appear in ‘real life’. The visitors are split into two groups. Both groups quickly realise that they can activate the sphere with their movements and loud calls. It begins to swing back and forth. The greater the swinging motion, the more intense the colours become. The sphere’s energy is reflected throughout the complete amphitheatre – on its balustrades, walls, ceiling and floor. The motion the visitors have activated takes on speed and intensity. The sphere begins to oscillate. A multitude of images from Germany and from balancity flash by the visitors’ eyes. Then, the sphere becomes still. The room gleams in a green light and a natural, very pleasant atmosphere – including a blue sky – takes over. A globe transforms into a seed, the seed into a blossom. New life emerges. With positive feelings in their hearts, our visitors leave the German pavilion, filled with a common energy – and taking new, attractive and unforgettable images from Germany for their journey ahead.