The Pavilion of Ideas

British Consul-General in Shanghai Carma Elliot announces the winner at the press conference.

Britain has chosen a fascinating lit cube design for its national pavilion at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, British Consul General in Shanghai Carma Elliot announced today.

The Pavilion of Ideas, designed by Heatherwick Studio, beat five other short-listed designs, including plans put forward by the creators of the London Eye -- the largest Ferris wheel in the world -- to become final the winner.

It is also Shanghai resident's favorite design according to a vote held when the six candidate designs were brought to Shanghai last month, said Elliots.

The pavilion looks like a box with thousands of spines that hover without visible support above a public square.

All the spines, which can swing in the breeze, are tipped with tiny colored light sources which can display a variety of images together.

"The image can be changed every day or every week. If people love to see David Beckham, we will play Beckham's picture. If Louis Hamilton wins the F1 Championship, maybe we will show Hamilton," said Elliot.

Inside the pavilion, visitors will see an enormous digital screen showing various contents. The outside area of the pavilion will be an exhibition space and auditorium as well as a cafe and shops surrounded by two strips of grass.

The pavilion will be as ecological as possible and the designers are trying to make all the aspects recyclable and carbon-neutral. It is light, without heavy concrete foundations and will "touch the ground softly," according to the introduction by Heatherwich.

And Elliot said the pavilion will have very unique effects in daytime, although it looks like it will be much more beautiful at night.

"We were really energized by the uniqueness of the concept and the way it integrated technology with a sensory experience for visitors," said the jury leader Lord Jones of Birmingham, Trade and Investment Minister.

"It will be a spectacular pavilion that responds to what visitors say and feel and at the same time showcases the very best of brand Britain."

The UK has chosen to build its own 6,000-square-meter pavilion on the Pudong side of the Expo site, beside the Lupu Bridge. Construction is expected to kick off before the summer next year.