Shanghai World Expo biggest in history

Rider Levett Bucknall is part of the winning consortium involved in the construction of the New Zealand and Hong Kong Pavilions for the World Expo 2010 in China, which promises to be the biggest in world history.

70 million people are expected to visit the 258 hectare site, along both sides of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, during the six months the expo will be open.

The Hong Kong Pavilion

The Hong Kong Pavilion "The Pavilion of Infinity" is a stand-alone structure located in front of the China Pavilion, in Zone A, on the Pudong side of the Shanghai World Expo site. The 1,390 m2 pavilion has three exhibition levels, each of which brings out a different aspect of Hong Kong's connectivity and creativity.

Managing cost

The Hong Kong Pavilion is a challenging project. The design and build contract followed the practices of the Hong Kong SAR Government's Architectural Services Department, but the tender documents were drafted in a way to ensure that the successful contractor adhered to the laws and regulations governing design and construction in Shanghai.

This is how the joint efforts of Rider Levett Bucknall's Shanghai office and Hong Kong office came into play. As this was a fast track project, close collaboration between both offices was expected.

Numerous e-mails between the two offices became part of our daily routine, with the employer's representatives treasuring advice from our Shanghai office on local practices, in addition to our quantity surveying support.

The contractor commenced design work in December 2008. The raft foundation was completed in June 2009, while the superstructure was completed in mid-October. It is anticipated that the project will reach its completion by April next year, paving the way for the official opening in May 2010 for the six-month Expo period.

The pavilions will give visitors a fantastic educational experience of the New Zealand and Hong Kong lifestyle and will enhance the cities profiles as tourism and business destinations.

The New Zealand Pavilion

Along with the exhibition space that marries the theme of the expo "Better City, Better Life" with the nature and culture of New Zealand, the New Zealand pavilion will also provide a platform to promote tourism, education and sister city activities.

The expo theme highlights new thinking, new technologies and new practices for achieving healthy and sustainable urban living. Aligned with these concepts, the New Zealand pavilion will follow the theme, "Cities of Nature, Living between Land and Sky."

The New Zealand Pavilion (pictured) is approximately 2,000 m2 and is a distinctive two-storey steel structure. The pavilion will be located in one of the prime sites at the expo, close to both the China Pavilion and beside the main elevated walkway.

There are several visitor experiences at the pavilion including a large rooftop garden for visitors to admire native plant and timber crafts and a mezzanine hospitality area capable of housing up to 40 guests for formal dining, or 110 for cocktail functions.

The New Zealand Pavilion: The challenge of the construction is to follow the local laws and regulations for design and construction in China.

Managing cost

For the New Zealand Pavilion project at the World Expo site in Shanghai, Rider Levett Bucknall is providing cost management services including budget control, reporting on pavilion construction and visitor experience installations.

"We are running it as a joint project between the Wellington and Shanghai Rider Levett Bucknall offices to provide continuity of service between the client and contractor," says Grant Watkins, the Wellington based director leading the cost management service.

"Our Rider Levett Bucknall office in Shanghai is managing the day to day cost issues on site. Working in the Chinese market is challenging in itself as their work practices and business methodologies are different from ours. The language barrier has been a hurdle as well, but having a local office which has bilingual staff has made this aspect less of an issue.

"Having three visitor experience design companies involved in the project has been fascinating. Watching them develop their concepts and ideas into real art installations has been eye opening and the budget issues around this have also been a challenge to understand and manage. I have been to Shanghai a couple of times to review progress and discuss cost aspects of the project with the local Rider Levett Bucknall team and project manager. It has certainly helped us to see the project up close and understand how the Chinese construction teams operate."