Feb 24, 2010: Seed Cathedral

I suspect it has something to do with the Brit's love of hedgehogs.

The 'Seed Cathedral', the intended centrepiece of the United Kingdom Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, also comes with an equally enormous bill for the British taxpayer. Costing £25million to build, the 60ft-high cube-like construction is covered by 60,000 quivering, transparent acrylic rods,received investment from eight Government departments and agencies.
The 60,000 rods are filled with vegetable seeds and will move in the breeze.

UKTI chief executive officer Sir Andrew Cahn said: 'The Chinese view of Britain is a rather old-fashioned one; it’s all to do with Britain as being a heritage country, a traditional economy - there’s an awful lot of cobblestones and fog. 'It hopes that updating Chinese preconceptions will attract foreign investors and students to Britain, as well as encourage exports between the two countries. 'We think of Britain as a cutting-edge, forward-looking country.'

After the Expo the Chinese will probably package the seeds, and make the rods into Hula Hoops, to sell in Britain. :haha:

link

I would not want to crash into it on a motorbike :O

I would not like being a tax payer that paid a penny for that!

I'm glad we never waste money like that here in the USA!

Dr Who is going to discover that the building is a giant alien bomb that will explode and shower all China with biologically active projectiles. He would save the day, but he will get held up at customs as the officials wrestle with the pronunciation of his name.

P.S. I think it is a cool building really.

I like it.

I wonder what it sounds like when the rods move in the breeze.

Cloud;637035 wrote:

I wonder what it sounds like when the rods move in the breeze.

Like millions of triffids clacking against one another?

Triffids clack? :eek:

xoxoxoBruce;637041 wrote:

Triffids clack? :eek:

That's only second hand information. I DO know that they spit poison and kill.

They spit poison AND kill? I'd call that a double feature.

So the Brits are a bunch of pricks? :D

If an ice cream truck passes by, does the building try to follow it?

Typically British.
In that something visually stunning and wonderful needs to mention taxpayers' money :smack:

We have a body called The Taxpayers Alliance (I won't even credit them with an apostrophe, as the newspapers never do). They appear to exist solely to allow the Hate Mail and the Express to quote them about wasting taxpayers' money.

Merkins and Aussies, count yourselves blessed!

PS - lovely find Bruce - I knew nothing about it. I tend to retreat into a media-free zone when the 'rents are away.

...The 60,000 rods are filled with vegetable seeds...

Um...why?

I was thinking about this, and I want to know why too. Why seeds, specifically? Do they rattle inside when the move? Will they be repurposed? Can they be accessed in case of a world wide famine?

is there a hyperdrive underneath there?

Why seeds?

Because ball bearings are much too heavy. ;)

vegetable seeds

Like.. poison oak, thistles, crab grass, nettles, ivy

Adak;637421 wrote:

Why seeds?

Because ball bearings are much too heavy. ;)

:devil:

Should be called the Seed Urchin.