... unique socio-cultural qualities – will be sent to Shanghai in the form of interactive exhibits on a container ship. The containers are placed in a three-storey, industrial high-rack storage system and unpacked on the Expo site. Ramps, moving conveyors and escalators connect the different levels and containers – creating a complex web of forms, functions, processes and meanings. The functional equivalent of a city model emerges, which at the same time is symptomatic of the cultural diversity, open-mindedness and economic capability of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The result is an inviting pavilion that is open in every sense, which simultaneously works as a public or urban space, but also effectively conveys a range of experiences and content. This occurs primarily in a personal way – German citizens of every conceivable kind operate as virtual tour guides, giving visitors to the pavilion a face-to-face view of different aspects of their homeland.

The generously proportioned interior courtyard functions as a typical German city square, with a 20-metre-high, 100-year-old lime tree imported from Germany right in the centre. This is reminiscent of the traditional German “village lime tree”, and not only breathes cultural life into the pavilion but also creates a pleasant atmosphere.