The German pavilion

Huge bee hive

The Seed Cathedral that represented the United Kingdom stole much limelight at Shanghai Expo in 2010. This time in Milan, the UK Pavilion continues to showcase originality with an eye-catching architecture that resembles a bee hive.

A design by the British artist Wolfgang Buttress, the pavilion addresses the global food issue by highlighting the role of bees' pollination in the food chain.

The 17-meter-high hive is built with 180,000 aluminium components. People can enter the central part of the hive - a platform with a fabulous view. Also, they can hear sounds in the "daytime", or see light flickering "at night", which respond to the movements that are happening to a real bee hive back in the UK.

The hive is surrounded by a British-style orchard and meadow. It reminds visitors that honey bees are also facing a food challenge - the loss of flower-rich meadows. A paper board introduces the flowers that bees favor and that people can help grow to sustain the bee population.

linqi@chinadaily.com.cn