Nine teams are interested in creating a Czech pavilion at Expo 2010

Prague/Shanghai - Nine teams are interested in creating a Czech pavilion at the World Exhibition Expo 2010 in China. They have applied for the tender announced by the office preparing the Czech participation in the world exhibition. The spokesperson of the office of the general commissioner for Expo 2010, Bibiana Beňová, told ČTK today by phone from Shanghai. The winner should be known by the end of the year or in January.
    According to Beňová, all proposals met the maximum cost level of 185 million crowns that the office wants to pay for the cladding and interior of the pavilion. A fourteen-member selection committee, which includes architects and representatives of the state, will evaluate the attractiveness of the solutions, cost-effectiveness, functionality, and the connection to the Czech Republic.
    "We will look at whether the proposal is innovative, charming, whether it brings new solutions and utilizes elements that can be applied at such an exhibition as the one we are organizing," said Pavel Stehlík, the general commissioner of Czech participation.
    According to him, the exhibits of the country at previous exhibitions were focused on artistic-cultural presentation; this time, the intention is to present the Czech Republic more broadly as a modern, developed, and prosperous country, an attractive tourist destination, and an interesting investment space. The pavilion is intended to embody the Czech motto "Fruits of Civilization" as well as the theme of the world exhibition in China, "Better City - Better Life."
    The state has allocated 520 million crowns for the Czech presentation in Shanghai; 34 percent of the total budget is earmarked for the realization and operation of the Czech booth and its content at the world exhibition. The world exhibition will begin on May 1, 2010, and will last until the end of October of that year. In April 2009, the Chinese are expected to hand over the hall for the Czech pavilion to representatives of the office of the general commissioner for Expo 2010, which will then hand it over to the winner of the competition. The supplier will then have 11 months to prepare the exhibition.