reddot Quality Seal for the German EXPO-Pavilion

The German Pavilion "balancity" at the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai is winner of the red dot design award - one of the most significant and highly recognized international design competitions. It has been presented with the "red dot award: communication design" in the category event design for the implementation and construction of the EXPO motto "Better City, Better Life". The Consortium German Pavilion, comprised of Schmidhuber + Kaindl, Milla & Partner and NUSSLI, views the red dot as a sign of recognition for the superior quality in the concept and realization of "balancity".

The EXPO 2010 in Shanghai Outshines All Previously Initiated World Expositions

From May 1st to October 31st, an estimated 70 million visitors will experience the EXPO motto "Better City, Better Life" first hand on an area totalling 5 million square meters. More than 240 participants present themselves with their individual interpretation of the theme.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Koelnmesse International entrusted the general planners from Schmidhuber + Kaindl, the exhibition designers at Milla & Partner and the building contractor NUSSLI with the realization of the German Pavilion. Under the title "balancity", Germany presents itself as a versatile, imaginative nation, an innovative and futureoriented country who, at the same time, places great value on maintaining its roots and traditions. The presentation enables the experience of how important balance is in the city of the future - for instance between maintaining and renewing, work and recreation, community and individual, or between globalization and national identity. Diversity and balance, and not uniformity, are what give the city of tomorrow energy and bestow upon it the quality of life. This central idea can be found everywhere in the German Pavilion and be experienced by the visitor.

The Pavilion as Walkthrough Sculpture and Tangible Symbol of Quality Urban Living

The thinking behind "balancity" is clearly reflected in its architecture. The pavilion is divided into two main components: "landscapes" and "buildings". A terraced landscape stretches from the ground level through to the third floor. Above this, four silvercolored exhibition structures appear to hover - independent of each other in delicate balance, and yet in stable interaction. Interspersed between the exhibition structures and the landscape, a spatial interplay of interior and exterior spaces, of light and shadow, of narrowness and vastness emerges.

The visitor makes his way through the pavilion as if it were a labyrinth. He thereby encounters various spatial situations, tunnels, squares, and courtyards. The crowning highlight is the Energy Source. It is the heart of "balancity", a source of power and the love of life. Its central element is a sphere with a diameter of three meters, whose surface is studded with around 400,000 LEDs. During the course of the seven minute show, throughout which the collective calling of the visitors charges the sphere with their energy to illuminate it and make it swing, images, colors, and shapes appear on the sphere that represent the impulses from Germany for EXPO's "Better City, Better Life" theme.

The facade of "balancity" is covered with a transparent membrane. The shiny silver material reduces the solar irradiation and transforms itself into a canopy of lights in the evening. The appearance of the pavilion changes through the transparency of the membrane, depending on the time of day and weather; at times it looks like an opaque crystal and sometimes it lets the interior of the pavilion shine through the facade as if it were fine gauze.

Symbol of Recognition for the Concept and Implementation of this Exceptional Pavilion

The German Pavilion is awarded the "red dot design award: communication design" for the implementation and construction of the EXPO motto "Better City, Better Life". The red dot seal of quality is awarded to works that have been certified as having an extremely high level of design by the independent jury of experts. For the Consortium German Pavilion (ARGE), comprised of Schmidhuber + Kaindl, Milla & Partner and NUSSLI, the award is recognition for the quality of the concept and implementation of the pavilion. The award with the red dot visualizes the affiliation with the international design elite and is a recognized seal of quality for excellence in design.

The red dot design award is one of the most significant and recognized design competitions in the world. It is divided into the disciplines product design, communication design, and design concept. Far more than 6,000 works from 44 countries were submitted to red dot award: communication design in this year, with 610 of these works red dot award recipients. The festive awards presentation ceremony to honor the "Best of the Best" and the opening of the special exhibition "Design on stage - winners red dot award: communication design 2010" will take place on December 8, 2010 in the red dot design museum in Essen.

About Schmidhuber + Kaindl, General Planning

Schmidhuber + Kaindl GmbH is a fullservice provider and contact partner for planning and implementation of comprehensive solutions. Whether for trade fair presences or company events, sponsor pavilions or corporate representations - they provide one single source for a complete range of threedimensional brand presences. Schmidhuber + Partner guarantees creative competence and planning efficiency; adherence to delivery dates and ensurance of costs is provided by General Contractor Schmidhuber + Kaindl. The professional project management ensures the optimal transfer from the creation on to the realization with the highest standard in design and quality.

About Schmidhuber + Partner, Architects and Design Planners of the German Pavilion

Schmidhuber + Partner are specialists for temporary architecture, corporate architecture and corporate design. With the aim of designing brand messages and corporate visions, the company has been successful for 25 years. Today, around 50 architects, interior designers, and designers work there to serve an international clientele in the trade fair, trade and public sector, office design, gastronomy and hotel industries. The company's portfolio includes Audi, O2, Grohe, Lamborghini, Samsung and Berker.

About NUSSLI, Realization and Project Management

NUSSLI is a leading, global supplier of temporary constructions for events, trade fairs, and exhibitions. The combination of longstanding expertise, indepth knowhow and an international network ensures focused, costefficient realization of customer specifications. NUSSLI's success is driven by its reliability and commitment to excel. The company provides individual, customtailored integral solutions from the initial concept to the final execution. These are hallmarked by short completion times and high quality.

Core products are grandstands and modular stadiums, trade fair stands and pavilion constructions, including the entire infrastructure for events. The wideranging services and products combined with inhouse planning and production capabilities make NUSSLI unmatched in events around the globe.