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Wicker Panels Now Being Installed in the Spanish Pavilion

Workman have begun installing the 8,524 wicker panels that make up the outer surface of the Pavilion, which will open its doors when the Expo begins on 1st,, and close them on 31st October. The work coincides with the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, when the people of Shanghai don new clothes in accordance with the lunar new year tradition of renewing the wardrobe, getting the hair cut, and thoroughly cleaning the house as a way of banishing the worst of the old year and entering the new one with renewed spirits.

The Expo organisers recently praised "the Spanish basket" as the Pavilion building is known, as one of the "most distinguished for its design", along with those of the United Kingdom, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. After her recent visit to the Expo site, Pavilion General Commissioner Ms Maria Tena said, “As a building it is quite spectacular, thanks to its size, shape, and the dynamic effect of the wicker shell," adding, "Now we can see what a good idea it was to choose a material so deeply rooted in both China and Spain, and to use it in a way that looks to the future without forgetting our traditions.”

The panels, each with a unique design and shape, were made by craftsmen in the China's northeastern Shandong province, who numbered them for assembly at the Pavilion. They are being attached to the building frame made of steel pipes and glass, and will serve to filter daylight reaching the interior. From the outside, visitors will be able to discern Chinese characters on the panels referring to the elements of nature. On a visit to Shanghai last week the Pavilion's designer, Ms Benedetta Tagliabue, of the EMTP architecture studio, explained that the use of wicker panels "was a major technological challenge, since they had never been used for such a large building before.”