Project Summary

The first transparent acrylic rod was hoisted and put into place on the Seed Cathedral, the centerpiece of the UK Pavilion, yesterday, marking the start of the pavilion's final phase of construction.


Carma Elliot, British consul general in Shanghai, thanked the organizer, the UK Expo team and the construction workers who keep toiling on the site.


The 20-meter-high cube-like Seed Cathedral will be covered by 60,000 slim, transparent acrylic rods, which will quiver in the breeze.


Each 7-meter-long rod contains a certain type of seed, a call from the UK to protect natural species and the future of mankind.

The area around the cathedral is designed to look like a wrapping paper, signifying a gift of friendship to China.


The seeds come from all over the world, with many varieties from China. They are collected from a seed bank in Kunming, Yunnan Province, which is the Chinese branch of the UK Millennium Seed Bank Project.


These seeds will be reused for some charity and cultural exchange programs after the Expo.