Location:

Central Area in Pudong Section of the Expo Site

Post-utilization:

Permanent Structue

Construction Progress:

Construction started on December 28, 2006 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

Construction Overview:

The Expo Axis is a large, integrated commercial and traffic complex providing commercial, catering, entertainment, and exhibition services. During the Expo, it is the main entrance to the Expo site and connects with four major pavilions through the elevated platform and underground passages. It also connects to the elevated pedestrians’ walk that runs across the Pudong section of the Expo site, and guides visitors to different pavilions.

Unique Features:

The Expo Axis is about 1,000 meters long and 110 meters wide with a total construction area of nearly 250,000 square meters. It employs new architecture style to be a semi-open structure, two layers underground and two layers aboveground. The roof design uses giant light cable-membrane structure, like white clouds floating in the blue sky.

In the whole structure, the 6 cone-shaped giant “Sun Valleys” constitute the most striking feature. The “Sun Valleys”, as the name suggests, are where the sunshine is collected. These steel structured “Sun Valleys” will be longitudinally distributed at the entrances and center areas of the Expo Axis.

Ecological Example:

△ Green Space Underground

The unique profiles of “Sun Valleys” help to disperse sunshine and air into the underground, not only improving air quality, but also saving energy consumed by the artificial lighting. During the Expo, the “Sun Valleys” will also be decorated with colorful plants. Carefully arranged, it will become an attractive ”underground garden” where visitors are unwilling to leave.

△ Automatic Regulation of Indoor Temperature

The employment of eco-technologies will achieve comfortable and pleasant interior environment for the Expo Axis. Under the giant public walkways lie 700-kilometer long pipelines for the ground source heat pump system achieving the role of heating and cooling effect with natural resources. In addition, as the Expo Axis leads to the Huangpu River, the river water can be introduced to regulate indoor temperature as the cooling and heating source.

△ Self-cleaning with Rainwater

Like the concept of rainwater collection in other pavilions, every “Sun Valley” is covered with a wide mouth vase-shaped circular glass curtain, which not only offers a better see-through effect, but more importantly collects rainwater as well. Substantial rainwater is stored in the basement. The collected rainwater will go through a series of filtration sections and become applicable for serving the “Sun Valley” areas, and perimeter pavilions for irrigation and flushing purposes.