Spectacular use of acrylic at World EXPO 2010, Shanghai, China

26 May 2010 Southampton, UK

British Pavilion ShanghaiThe UK pavilion, called The Seed Cathedral, at World EXPO 2010 is a spectacular example of creativity and innovation being expressed in acrylic. And it has been constructed using acrylic from Lucite International China’s (LIC) customer, Donchamp, based on MMA manufactured at the Company’s plant in Caojing. The Seed Cathedral was designed by leading UK talent, Thomas Heatherwick, and is formed from 60,686 transparent 7.5m acrylic rods containing symbolic seeds, which extend from the structure and move in the breeze. By day, each rod acts like a fibre optic filament, drawing on daylight to illuminate the interior. At night, light sources embedded in each rod allow the whole structure to glow. The Pavilion story is a collaborative effort between UK creative talent, scientists and botanists and has been made real using acrylic. To see more images of this stunning art form, click here  or click here 

LIC and its customer partners have worked closely with the World EXPO 2010 project teams, which has also led to acrylic being used extensively in the China and Australia pavilions. The Chinese National Grid and other local organisations have specified the material for construction and signage. And as part of the project, several new applications have been identified.

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