Sweden Pavilion

THEME: Spirit of Innovation

PAVILION: The Pavilion is assembled in a modular manner, resembling the Swedish flag with four separate exhibition rooms divided by a cross-shaped courtyard. The Pavilion is made of wood from young growth forests and utilizes the best in energy-efficient design. The Pavilion is also 100% recyclable and can be reassembled as a business or educational facility elsewhere.

EXHIBIT: Visitors enter the Pavilion into a room with skylights and windows, full of natural light during the day. Here visitors will learn about the three inspirations for the Pavilion; beloved fictional character Pippi Longstocking, Erik Feng, an executive of Chinese descent for Ericsson and Victoria Karlsson, a young executive for Volvo.  Ascending the escalator, visitors then enter the first gallery, Atmosphere. A series of large photographs mounted on cylinders introduce visitors to Sweden, with the crisp fresh air and a calming soundtrack that includes the sounds of ice crackling, the waves of Lake Vattern and even a Chinese gong. 

The next room is The Room of Environmental Challenges, with a centerpiece of a glittering statue representing a giant lung. Various success stories of ecological challenges that were given innovative solutions are shown on big screens throughout the room. Next comes the Room of Solutions. Here, various Swedish companies show their innovation in addressing problems like the ones in the previous room.

On display are products like the Atlas Copco silent drill, SKF’s energy-efficient ball bearings, the Munters energy-efficient climate control system and Alfa Laval’s heat exchangers. Colorful pipes run between all the objects in the room, symbolizing the inter-connectivity of commercial and residential environments. There is also a kitchen that demonstrates the latest in Swedish kitchen products. Lucky visitors can sample Swedish ginger cookies.

The next room is downstairs; young or young-at-heart visitors can take a giant indoor slide into it or the more dignified can take the stairs. That room is the Innovation Room. Here whimsical swings hang from the ceiling to demonstrate the whimsical link between playfulness and creativity. Each swing lights up a wall that shows many of the innovations that Swedish inventors have developed, some of them quite surprising like the wrench and the zipper.

The final room is Innovative Society. Here, new innovations at work include the Absolut Machines winner, the Absolut Choir, a robotic choir that takes input from the visitor and creates music with 22 distinct voices based on the individual contribution from the visitor. Urban Planet is a playful and educational installation that presents research on urban sustainability to the general public.

An information kiosk will allow visitors to find out where they can find out further information online. The Innovation Stage hosts a series of events, from gaming competitions to school classes. Finally, as visitors exit the Pavilion, dozens of mittens knitted by Swedes wave goodbye to them.

CUISINE: There is a Swedish café in the exhibition area serving various Swedish delicacies.

SHOPPING: A shop on the second floor sells Swedish merchandise and Pavilion souvenirs.