Spectacular interior design in the German pavilion at EXPO 2010 Shanghai China

Polycarbonate sheets from Bayer MaterialScience combine wide design freedom with low weight

Tailor-made for use in trade fair / exhibition construction and interior design

Leverkusen - A tour of “balancity”, the German pavilion at EXPO 2010 Shanghai China, takes visitors on a journey through a city in balance. The route passes through various areas of the city, including a harbor, a garden and a city square, where visitors will also encounter solid and multiwall sheets made from the polycarbonate Makrolon® from Bayer MaterialScience. “This creative usage of our sheets reflects the extensive design freedom they offer thanks to their easy formability, lighter weight when compared with glass, and their robustness in trade fair / exhibition construction and interior design,” explains Markus Hoschke, who is responsible for the Bayer Sheet skills network in Asia.

Lightweight design, excellent flame retardance
Three-dimensional, curved solid sheets from Bayer Sheet Korea appear as floating “flakes” in the “Harbor”. They symbolize the surface of an area of water that visitors break through from below to reach the harbor. The flakes, which have a synthetically processed surface and are shaped like potato chips, are flexibly interlinked and, with their bluish transparency, reinforce the spectacular effect of the entire space. An area of around 320 square meters has been designed with flakes made from 4.5-millimeter thick solid sheets of Makrolon® UV clear and GP clear grades. The sheets were thermoformed and then fashioned by an artist.

Safety issues also played a key role in the choice of material. The polycarbonate sheets do not produce burning droplets if a fire breaks out. They meet the strict B2 fire safety classification, unlike many comparable products from other suppliers. This was also reaffirmed in fire safety tests commissioned by the EXPO organizers.

Excellent cold-bending properties, simple processing
In the “Garden” area, nine wave-like sails suspended from the ceiling float over the visitors’ heads, offering visual insights into the world of German gardens that are reinforced by images on the walls. The backlit sails were produced by cold forming multi UV triple-wall sheets (3/16-16) of transparent Makrolon® from Bayer Sheet Europe. In a similar way to collages, the sails are lined with canvas or paper and fastened to steel tubular frames attached to steel cables.

The 16-millimeter thick, impact-resistant triple-wall sheets also come into their own in the “City Square”. They have been used to make ten visually striking, backlit images that represent a skyline and frame a large sculpture that serves as a film projection surface. “In addition to their familiar applications in dome construction, stadium roofing and conservatories, Makrolon® multi UV twin-wall sheets are also highly suitable for use in the design of trade fair and exhibition stands. EXPO 2010 Shanghai China provides a prime example of this,” observes Guenther Winnerl, head of marketing at Bayer Sheet Europe. Some of the multiwall sheets are also given a special, long-lasting, water-dispersing coating on the side facing the room. This ensures that any condensation becomes an even film of water that can drain off in a controlled process, thereby preventing unwanted droplets of water from forming on the inner side of the sheets, which can affect refraction.

“balancity” shows that life in a city can be eminently desirable provided the city is in balance. The “Harbor”, “Garden” and “City Square” areas form part of “balancity” at the German pavilion. The term “balancity” is a combination of the elements “balance” and “city”. The theme of the German pavilion therefore fits in perfectly with the motto of EXPO 2010 Shanghai China – “Better City, Better Life”.

About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2009 sales of EUR 7.5 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2009, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 14,300 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

About the German pavilion:
The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology is responsible for the German pavilion. The Koelnmesse International company was commissioned by the Ministry to set up and manage “balancity”. The German pavilion project was placed in the hands of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Pavillon Shanghai (ARGE) group of companies, which comprises Schmidhuber + Kaindl, Milla & Partner and NÜSSLI (Germany). Schmidhuber + Kaindl coordinated the architecture and general planning, Milla & Partner took charge of exhibition and media design, and NÜSSLI (Germany) was responsible for implementation and project management.

For more information visit www.bayermaterialscience.com, www.bayersheeteurope.com, www.bayersheetasia.com and www.expo2010-germany.com.