British designer Thomas Heatherwick has released images of his updated design for the UK pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010. He was awarded the commission in September 2007, beating architects including Zaha Hadid, John McAslan and Marks Barfield. The six-storey pavilion is pierced by 60,000 transparent rods. The 7.5 metre rods will act as fibre optic filaments during the day, illuminating the interior of the pavilion with natural light. At night the rods transport the light from the inside to the exterior, allowing the structure to glow. The surrounding faceted landscape provides space for public events and also offers shelter for visitors. The pavilion will house the largest collection of wild plant seeds in the world – Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank partnership – displayed in the end of the transparent rods. Construction began in March on China’s annual national tree planting day.
