POLIS, the Living City

The Greek pavilion addresses the theme of this year’s expo through a human centered approach. Polis, the Greek city constitutes “a city for living well” but also a live, a vibrant city! The design refers to the urban fabric, not as a physical replica, but as an interpretation of living and functioning in the city, as a reminder of the joy of the urban life. It not only exhibits the every day way of life but it also reflects an insatiable thirst for living. The POLIS (city) of Greece is well acknowledged for its “livelihood” and “liveability”.

Moreover, the inclusion of “polis” in the theme, highlights the historical association among the ancient Greek words: “politis” (citizen), “politismos” (civilisation), “politia” (state), “politevma” (constitution), “policy” and “politics”, or even among composite words like acropolis, cosmopolis, ecumenopolis, metropolis and technopolis. This indicates that culture and policy making were an integral part of the ancient Greek city and civilization.

The Greek pavilion uniqueness is that condenses 24hrs in the life of a Greek city into the 13 hours that the pavilion will be open to the public. In fact, the pavilion can be seen as a “living organism” that follows a daily cycle synchronized with the cycle of the sun in Shanghai for the duration of the Expo.