Have you heard? Shanghai will be hosting 2010’s World Expo from May-October this year. I’ve been looking forward to this event for a couple years now, and luckily, I won’t be too far away with a chance to visit! Check out a couple highlights so far:

Glowing UK Pavilion will be used as a “seed bank with the largest collection of wild seeds in the world”. It glows from thousands of fiber optic filaments, which illuminate at night. “At the end of each transparent rod, tens of thousands of seeds will be encased and visitors can view examples of the plant species that help global conservation programs.” via PSFK

The Japanese Pavilion, officially nicknamed ‘zi can dao’ (purple silkworm island) for its shape and color. The pavilion will be divided into three parts: past, present, and future exhibitions. It will also “present the connections and exchanges
between japan and china, technologies and human activities for resolving issues facing humankind
and ideas for the future of the earth with humans living in harmony with the environment. Visitors will experience some chinese elements at the japan pavilion, involving characters and traditional chinese architectural styles.” via DesignBoom