What: Danish Pavilion – Shanghai Expo 2010
Ok, this post is soooo not news worthy, but Happy & The Bike only got its start after this thing wrapped and I still think it’s mega cool so humour Rider, yes?…
Between May-October of this year, China welcomed a record breaking number of attendees to its doorstep – each eager to catch a glimpse of the nation’s widely anticipated hosting of the World Expo. Held in Shanghai, the Expo presented a global forum for exploring the complexities, markers and potential opportunities within the 21st century urban experience.
Danish Pavilion – Living Lore of Urbanism
As one of the +250 pavilions displayed, Denmark presented an impressive double-spiraling monolith entitled ‘Welfairytales’ (a fusion of the words ‘welfare’ and ‘fairy tales’). Conceived to unfold as a fairytale, the pavilion told the story of Danish urbanism as a living product of its dynamic cities, people and technology.
Danish Pavilion
Given its widespread reputation as the ‘country of bikes’—based on its dominant bike culture and expansive cycling infrastructure—the Danish Pavilion would have been amiss had the bike not figured prominently within its scheme. As such, the pavilion allowed visitors to cycle throughout the structure on borrowed bikes, akin to the bike sharing programs of Copenhagen, to experience Danish urbanity firsthand. Designed by Denmark’s golden boy, Bjarke Ingels, and his colleagues at BIG (in collaboration with ARUP), the pavilion also showcased various artifacts and multimedia features to further demonstrate the distinct vernacular of Denmark’s urban realm.
The pavilion's featured bike lanes
The pavilion’s video, The Bicycle City, provides a taste of the Danish urban cycling experience.
