by jbs071210 c3 — July 14, 2010—The U.K. Pavilion at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai by Heatherwick Studio has scooped the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) prestigious RIBA Lubetkin Prize for the most outstanding work of international architecture by an RIBA member.
The U.K.’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, named the “Seed Cathedral,” is constructed from 60,000 7.5-meter-long slender, acrylic-tipped aluminum rods suspended in a timber frame that sits upon a landscaped area designed to look like a creased piece of paper. The long fiber-optic rods, which quiver in the breeze, create an effect that has been likened to a dandelion or a sea urchin.
The presentation of the RIBA Lubetkin Prize, supported by U.K. Trade and Investment (UKTI), took place June 29 at RIBA’s headquarters in London. The prize-winner was chosen from among the winners of the 2010 RIBA International Awards, who also received their awards at the ceremony, as did the winners of RIBA Awards in the European Union.
The U.K. Pavilion beat off stiff competition from two other shortlisted buildings: Timberyard Social Housing, Dublin by O’Donnell and Tuomey and the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Centre, Alaska by David Chipperfield Architects.
