Seed Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The UK pavilion at Expo 2010, colloquially known as the Seed Cathedral, was a sculpture
structure built by a nine member conglomeration of British
business and government resources directed by designer Thomas Heatherwick
. It referenced the race to save seeds from round the world in banks, and housed 60,000 plant
seed
s at the end of acrylic rods, held in place by geometrically-cut holes with the rods inserted therein.
The structure stood where it was built, at a cost of £25 million, in Shanghai
for the 2010 World Expo and won the BIE gold award for best pavilion design.
The cathedral's architecture was an elaboration of Heatherwick's 2003 work of the Sitooterie II in Essex, United Kingdom.
The UK Pavilion catered to over 100 public and private sector events, hundreds of VIP and dignitary visits and over seven million general public visitors during the 6 months of Expo.
The cathedral
has now been dismantled, with some rods donated to schools, some donated to the World Expo Museum and some being auctioned for charity.
interviews architect Thomas Heatherwick in Shanghai about his Seed Cathedral.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
structure built by a nine member conglomeration of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
business and government resources directed by designer Thomas Heatherwick
Thomas Heatherwick
Thomas Heatherwick is an English designer known for innovative use of engineering and materials in public monuments and sculptures...
. It referenced the race to save seeds from round the world in banks, and housed 60,000 plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s at the end of acrylic rods, held in place by geometrically-cut holes with the rods inserted therein.
The structure stood where it was built, at a cost of £25 million, in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
for the 2010 World Expo and won the BIE gold award for best pavilion design.
The cathedral's architecture was an elaboration of Heatherwick's 2003 work of the Sitooterie II in Essex, United Kingdom.
The UK Pavilion catered to over 100 public and private sector events, hundreds of VIP and dignitary visits and over seven million general public visitors during the 6 months of Expo.
The cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
has now been dismantled, with some rods donated to schools, some donated to the World Expo Museum and some being auctioned for charity.
External links
Architecture Critic Edward LifsonEdward Lifson
Edward Lifson is an award-winning American journalist and architecture critic. He writes on architecture, urbanism and culture, in addition to news and politics. Lifson created and hosted a popular radio show in Chicago called "Hello Beautiful!" to explore urban architecture and design issues....
interviews architect Thomas Heatherwick in Shanghai about his Seed Cathedral.