France takes “Sensual City” to Shanghai

France is investing heavily in its pavilion at Expo 2010 to create a showcase of sense and sustainability

When France unveiled the design it for its national pavilion in March 2008, the budget attracted as much attention as the ambitious design. The French government has allocated a record USD 74m (RMB 503m) budget for the national pavilion. "As far as I know, it is the highest among all participants," said Xu Bo, director of the International Participation Department of the Bureau of World Expo Coordination. Jacques Ferrier Architectures’ design, called “the Sensual City”, was selected from 49 candidates. Announcing the winning design, French president Nicolas Sarkozy said: "The opening of the Pavilion of France must be a unique opportunity to reinforce the image of our countries in China. All talents and all intellectual forces will be involved in this achievement. Its technological characteristics represent the contribution of France, one of the greatest economic capitals of the world, to sustainable urban development."

And during a state visit to China, on November 27, 2007, Sarkozy told the Chinese government: “The pavilion will be an emblematic and innovative building. Both in its form and its materials in its content, it will reflect not only the dynamism of our country but also its way of life. In this respect and in accordance with the general theme of Shanghai 2010, it will demonstrate its capacity for innovation in sustainable development and cultural influence.”

Superficially, the design is not extravagant. The structure is a roughly square building, surrounded by water to give the impression of floating. But inside the pavilion is a hidden gem: a mirror of water that reflects an innovative vertical garden.

Lauren Lynn of Agence TER, the landscape architectural practice contracted to design the garden, tells Host City: “As part of our response to the theme of the exposition, ‘Better City, Better Life’ it was important to us to illustrate the idea of nature being a key component of daily life within even the densest of French cities, both historically and in the future. We put the garden at the center of the pavilion to represent this key idea.

This design is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional French garden. It also presents a new way of constructing gardens within cities. “The garden is no longer confined to the ground plane, and instead is suspended vertically – thus enabling it to be experienced from all four sides. The garden façade that faces outwards towards the patio is composed of a uniform plant palette. The façade facing inwards towards the exposition space is composed of diverse plant palette which changes in relation to the interior content of the pavilion,” says Lynn.

The true value of the pavilion lies in its sustainable construction. The pavilion will use the most advanced building materials and environmental technologies, showcasing energy efficiency and recycling techniques. The garden contributes to the overall environmental sustainability of the pavilion by acting as a filter for pollutants present in the air. The garden will also serve as an extra layer of insulation for the building – helping to reduce extreme heat gains and losses. A roof garden will also reduce rain water runoff.

A sensory experience
In his description of the ethos behind the “Sensual City”, the Pavilion’s architect Jacques Ferrier says: "We create a balance between ‘technical’ and ‘sensuality’, between ‘action’ and ‘thinking’, between ‘city’ and ‘territory’. This balance is the basis of a simple and dense message, which will give a remarkable and memorable identity to France within the framework of the Expo.”

The pavilion design sets out to erase the opposition between traditional and modern France. “The French characterise the art of living with a serene and confident attitude. In the 21st century, inventiveness and change in attitude goes alongside the permanence of liberty, cultural identity, humanism and well-being,” says Ferrier.

Sensuality is used as an expression of national character in the design. “Taste, sight, touch, smell, hearing, balance, movement: through a simple and memorable idea of the sensual city, we present the various viewpoints on French identity. The experience of visiting will be unique, with constantly surprising and interesting contrasts."

The lighting, provided by US-based George Sexton Associates, will play a vital but low-key role in providing this sensory experience. Speaking to Host City, Sexton says: “It’s not a light show. We want visitors to experiences their senses – and not notice the lighting.”

The strength of the lighting plan lies in its subtlety. “All the areas will have enough light to move around safely, to see what is being exhibited, to experience the part of the exhibition. But our approach is to make the lighting as transparent as possible. We want it to be invisible. It’s a very low profile approach – very subdued, very quiet, in the background. In the past, it was the brighter the better; but really, people can be more comfortable in subdued lighting,” says Sexton.

In keeping with the ideals of the pavilion design, the lighting will be energy-efficient. “All of the fixture selections are low energy – either metal halide or fluorescent.”

The pavilion will maximise the use of natural light. Lighting from screens will also play an important part. “Because the exhibition within the pavilion is a combination of objects and media content, we’re using the media content as some of the light source – film, monitors, and other audiovisual components.”

As crucial as the sources of light is the way it is controlled. Technology is assisting here. “Efficiency can be improved by only using the light you need, and only using it when you need it. Many people don’t seem to know when to turn lights off. The way it is switched is very important. We are zoning the light in relationship to the exhibits and the use of daylight. The technology of control has developed through wireless, dimming capabilities.”

Sexton speaks very highly of the design plans and the international team that is implementing them. “We are very excited about the design; it’s extremely beautiful and very elegant. And it’s one of the most collaborative environments. With the French organisation and the huge team in China, a global team is coming together – it’s very exciting and truly a world effort.”