In February 2009, Francois Valentiny, the prominent Luxembourg architect, departed for Shanghai to attend the cornerstone laying ceremony of Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2010 on the south bank of Huangpu River. From then on, Valentiny has made a determination to creating a fairy environment under the theme of "Small is also beautiful" within the Expo site.

Scene of Forest and Fortress

Francois Valentiny was born in Luxembourg in 1953. From 1975 to 1980, he studied architecture at the Ecole d'Architecture de Nancy France and in the University of Applied Arts Vienna Austria. After graduation, he entered into a partnership with Hubert Hermann, founding the architects' office Hermann & Valentiny.

Valentiny was Luxembourg's first representative at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 1991. He also founded and published the first Luxembourg architecture magazine in 2002. With the completion of his famous works such as European Culture Centre (Aachen, Germany), Stavanger Concert Hall (Norway), Mozart's House (Salzburg, Austria), and the award of the Gold Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, Valentiny has been granted the title of master in architecture, rendering his architectural works with the special verve of masterpieces.

The 20-meter-high Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2010 will cover an area of around 3,000 square meters, with the exhibition space of around 1,300 square meters. Valentiny stresses that it's a small-sized structure, with the theme "Small is Also Beautiful", which well reflects the country's special identity as "the Green Heart of Europe".

Valentiny draws a vivid picture of the country of fortresses, which are scattered within the natural scenery, the green forests and the braided rivers, to create the beauty that could only be found in fairy tales. The pavilion design idea comes from the literal Chinese translation of Luxembourg — lu sen bao — "forest and fortress." Its profile is inspired by the medieval tower. The pavilion will be covered with a plant wall in association with the forest image, and the tower will be surrounded by water.

Valentiny also hopes to build a people-friendly environment. On the green roof, visitors may sit in the benches and take a rest while enjoying the beautiful scenery around. They may play games, have fun, or taste delicious foods at the open wing. A specific space for cultural exchange will be set up at the centre of the tower, featuring the two-way audiovisual transmission via satellite between Luxembourg and Shanghai, to achieve communications between two countries in a broader sense, which will be beyond the exhibition itself.

An Exemplary Practice of Sustainable Urban Development

To reflect the Expo theme, the Luxembourg Pavilion will demonstrate the concept of sustainable urban development through its structure and building materials.

Valentiny and his design team select steel, wood and glass as main materials to build the pavilion. The open structure of the pavilion will be made of Corten steel, a type of corrosion proof material. As a result, no protective painting is required for the exterior elevations. Furthermore, all the building materials can be recycled after the Expo.

The application of Corten steel will help create a sculpture-like building, with energy efficiency and sustainable development identities. In addition, it is closely correlated to the image of Luxembourg, the country that has a history of over 120 years in production of high quality steel products. Steel industry is one of the pillars of Luxembourg's economy.

This is not the first time Valentiny has introduced Corten steel in design of architectural works. In 2003, Valentiny designed the Tower of Dreams and Longings, a Corten steel structure as a gift from the city of Luxembourg to the city of Trier German. It's deemed as a landmark, more sculpture than architecture, more artwork than building.

Valentiny will never be satisfied with his past achievements. He truly hopes to make a breakthrough in his design career through the presentation of Luxembourg Pavilion. "It is a great project full of visions and challenges." Valentiny really enjoys the process of design, where he can release his passions and realize his dreams.