
First to build validated and first site opened on the site on the banks of the Huangpu River, the Pavilion of the France for the world exposition Shanghai 2010 is on track to thirteen months in the opening set on May 1, 2010. Winner in March 2008 the competition organised by Cofres (French for the Shanghai universal exhibition company), Jacques Ferrier architect in unveiled the contents and the design on 17 March, at the Musée d'Orsay, associated with the operation, and in the presence of Alain Delon, sponsor of the Pavilion, while only the foundations are carried out.
As it showed the Olympic Summer Games 2008 and his opening show, the Chinese love celebration and pageantry. The 2010 exhibition, they expect a great success with 100 million visitors expected, for the most part from nationals to make a round the world in shortcut. For the France flag, the French team table on a flow of 6,000 people per hour. That is, the issue of this building, which will be surrounded by approximately forty other foreign flags and several Chinese. Before the race for the feat and the typical gesticulation of this type of event, Jacques Ferrier Architectures Agency, relayed by the force of striking of the Institute of engineering of Tongji University, has been able to keep cool heads. "Dedicated to the city, the theme of this first exhibition universal of the 21st century"better city - better life"appeared particularly relevant in today's world", says the designer. Usual, he wanted the simplicity in a understandable project, offering a vision of the art of living in French, which he described in these terms: "the Pavilion is the Cartesian form of a well-shaded quadrilateral of a fine FishNet mineral and as suspended over a body of water." In the heart of this case, a garden à la française deploys vertically to see a théâtre de verdure that leverages in the reflections of the water. "Designed with the engineer Jean-Marc Weill, the FishNet breach the whole of the building and responds to seismic risk identified on the site. It consists of a steel structure bolted and capotée on three sides of shells in composite cement and glass fibre (CCV), which gives the mineral appearance wanted by the architect. Essentially made up of vertical blocks in boxwood, Garden brode all-sided to roof patio has been designed with the landscape of the TER Agency (Henri Bava, Hoessler, Olivier Philippe Michel) who have developed a complex process of drip. "The plant is here more than a facade animation;" "he became writing and materiality", comment on them.

"The France therefore receives in a garden", said Jacques Ferrier. "The theme of the sensual city deploys through six sense: taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight, and the balance and movement.".
More on sustainable city Pavilion stresses the pleasure of living in the city. Lighting by George Sexton Associates will stage night the FishNet and garden. The whole operation is encrypted to 50 million euros including 20 for the only Pavilion.
Sensual journey
Rather than contain the queue outside, the idea of the project is to wait the public in the patio around the basin. A large escalator drains flow up to the uppermost terrace from which starts exposure in a backward loop. During the visit, the membrane is seen on its face bare steel, painted in the identity colour from the Eiffel Tower. This visit takes place as top-down between the interior wall that serves as the unveiling and the garden curtain. A large ramp sloping 4 and 6 metres wide place the course approximately 300 metres, resulting in the crowd. "The time of the discovery exceeds not a quarter of an hour", says Pauline Marchetti, Director of the project in Jacques Ferrier.
The exhibition is essentially composed of photographic sequences on 4 metres high, showing different themes such as the city and the climate, the city and water, etc. "Deepening spaces" in niches punctuate the course, including occupied by three major partners of the exhibition: Lafarge (touch), LVMH (the view), Sanofi-aventis (taste). The highlight is the end with the presentation of seven original works loaned by the Museum of Orsay which "The balcony" (Edouard Manet, 1868-1869), "The Hall of dance in Arles" (Vincent Van Gogh, 1888), or even the sculpture "The age of bronze" (Auguste Rodin, 1877).
The building has a temporary exhibition room, for the use of other partners, an auditorium for 120 seats, a kitchen and a restaurant on the terrace in the famous Montpellier Pourcel brothers. For the sake of consistency and efficiency, the team of Jacques Ferrier Architectures received for mission of all control, the container content, from architecture to design to furniture. Only beyond its control, the mascot of the Pavilion, Léon the kitten, iconic toy of the SMEs Jura Vilac. Appeal to children is also important that seduce adults.