Shanghai Expo 2010: Images of the six designs shortlisted for the British Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 have been released.

The shortlist, announced in May, consists of Thomas Heatherwick (top image); Zaha Hadid (above); Marks Barfield Architects (below); Avery Associates Architects; Draw Architects; and John McAslan + Partners.

Below: Avery Associates

Below: Draw Architects

Below: John McAslan + Partners

Model photos are by James Brittain.

Below is the press release that announced the shortlist back in May:

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PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed till 12.00 noon 21 May 2007

DESIGN SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED
Six design teams have been shortlisted by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to design the British Pavilion for World Expo 2010, Shanghai. The list includes internationally known Zaha Hadid Architects and Marks Barfield, creative studios Avery Associates and John McAslan Architects, a team unit around the architect / sculptor Thomas Heatherwick, and a new practice Draw Architects. The six teams will now work up conceptual ideas based on a brief devised by design adviser to the FCO Malcolm Reading & Associates.

There will be a public exhibition of the six team designs to be held simultaneously in London and Shanghai in the summer. A final selection for the winning entry will be made in September. Malcolm Reading, of Malcolm Reading & Associates, who is managing the competition for the FCO and is acting as design adviser said: “This is a rich and distinctive shortlist. These are very creative teams, drawn from a shortlist of 47 entries. The response was fantastic and reflects the widespread interest from the design community in this unique project. We want this pavilion to be amongst the top ten exhibits at Expo 2010."

The overarching theme of World Expo 2010 is ‘Better City, Better Life’. The UK pavilion will have to deal with up to 40,000 visitors a day over the six month Expo. The working budget of £10 million for the UK pavilion is a mixture of public funding and private sponsorship. The competition is supported by the RIBA, CABE and the Design Council. The pavilion will occupy a 6000m2 plot in a prime location overlooking the Huangpu River on the 3.28km2 Expo site. The brief for the pavilion highlights the UK’s lead in promoting policies and technologies for a low carbon economy and sustainable urban development.

The contents will use innovation and technology to display the UK’s strengths in sustainable development, creating a stimulating and long-lasting showcase to illustrate how British culture, media, sport, education and business is supporting this central theme.

The expression of interest stage sought out responses from integrated teams of architects, designers and content originators. This attracted 47 responses from which the shortlist of six was chosen. The six teams are (in alphabetical order):
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1. Avery Associates Architects with Adams Kara Taylor, Fulcrum and Event Communications
2. Draw Architects with Arup, DCM Studio and Graven Images
3. Heatherwick Studio with Adams Kara Taylor, Atelier Ten and Casson Mann
4. John McAslan + Partners with Arup and Wordsearch
5. Marks Barfield Architects with Price & Myers, Arup and Imagination
6. Zaha Hadid Architects with Arup, Metstudio and the Architectural Association School of Architecture Curatorial Projects

The development of the design and implementation in Shanghai will be project managed by MACE, the construction partner of the FCO.