The design concept of the Shanghai Expo Future Store comes from a drop of water, as water is not only a mascot of the Shanghai Expo but also a metaphor for Shanghai itself being the largest metropolis on the East China Sea. Through digital parametric modeling, a sea of acrylic spheres were created to form an intricate ceiling installation. The overall layout forgoes the Cartesian grid and took on a polar grid, permeating radially from the entrance of the store.

The concept of the wave symbolizes the Shanghai Expo, it’s location at the mouth of the Yangzi River, and its effect and significance for the future of China and beyond. The mathematically generated curvature is tectonically articulated with over 18,000 acrylic spheres hung by steel fixings with cables of graduating lengths. The lighting designer placed 12 “light trees” to project light onto the acrylic spheres, creating layers of reflection and refraction, and resulting in waves of light and shadow. In addition, RFID technology was incorporated onto several of the “light tree” for merchandize display. Where the arm of the tree rotates and scans above the product, specific merchandize information will be shown on the attached monitor

From the start fo the project, the design contemplates a core question: What is “Future”? Future is not in opposition to the past, but rather a continuation. Future should not repeat the past, but instead could re-interpret the past. There are inherit contradictions in mediating the past with the future, yet it may also be where creativity may breakthrough. In our theme of the wave, we used a different tectonic and material language to represent a rather familiar image of the wave. This way, the form is not only understood and accepted by the general audience, but also push the viewers’ perception and imagination of their “future”. Such is my response to the question of the “future” of design.