Over time, not only has the original intention of the Expo to encourage world peace through world trade changed, so have the themes and general nature of the Expos themselves. Recognising the effects of desertification, global warming and depletion of natural resources brought about by mass production and consumption, recent Expos have chosen to reinterpret the word 'progress' and to re-look at our 'future' - how is it possible to nurture the Earth and not subscribe to destructive exploitation?

The first World Expo of the 21st century opened recently, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with the theme 'Nature's Wisdom', exemplifying an intention to create a new direction for humanity that is sustainable and harmonious with nature. There are three further sub-themes: namely, 'Nature's Matrix', 'Art of Life' and 'Development for Eco-Communities'. These sub-themes explore the meaning of civilisation in the space age and are demonstrated in various aspects of the Expo, be it from the macro-selection of site or the micro-design of individual national Pavilions.

Most Expos only last for six months and the Expo site, and the individual Pavilions left behind after the event is over, certainly affect the site and its vicinity for a long time to come. There is, therefore, an increased significance in considering its after-use in the early planning stage. For Aichi Expo 2005, there are two sites - the Nagakute Town Area and Seto City Area - each connected by gondola shuttle buses. The Nagakute Area was formerly a youth park of Aichi Prefecture and the Seto Area was a forest. When the 185-day event is over, plans have been made to revert the forest and park to their original natural conditions as much as possible through re-planting. The Expo site is thus constructed in a way that has been carefully designed to minimise environmental load. Existing forests and ponds on the site are used in their natural state to the greatest extent possible, so that water and greenery combine in harmony. 'The Global Loop', a 2.6 km-long elevated corridor that connects all the national Pavilions, and provides smooth and barrier-free access, while at the same time eliminating the necessity to cut down trees or fill in ponds.

Traditionally, the grounds have showcased the latest in world architectural trends, design concepts and architectural technology, and many structures built during the Expo have become worldwide icons - from the Crystal Palace, the Eiffel Tower, the Barcelona Pavilion, the Seattle Space Needle and the Buckminster Fuller dome in Montreal, to the Dutch Pavilion in Hanover 2000. In Aichi Expo 2005, the national Pavilions are conceived not to create masterpieces, but are instead built to the concept of the three Rs - 'Reduce, Re-use and Recycle'. Other than the Japanese Pavilion and part of the Japanese corporate Pavilions, which will be kept after the event is over as public structures in the park, the national Pavilions are temporary structures. Most of them use standard exhibition units that are easily assembled, dismantled and recycled. Measuring 18 m long by 18 m wide and 9 m high, these units are assembled using simple steel and timber structures. Each Pavilion will, according to its needs, select the number of units and carry out their internal renovation and façade design. A lot of these Pavilions demonstrated a high level of eco-awareness, of which the Japan Pavilion is representative. Measuring 90 m long by 70 m wide and 19 m high, the entire structure is covered by a 'cage' that is woven from 23,000 bamboo stalks. From afar, it resembles a cocoon lying on the ground. Bamboo is a traditional building material and used in a modern context; it not only shelters the scorching summer sun but also reduces the internal temperature of the Pavilion, in the process reducing the air-conditioning load.

Walter Benjamin described 19th century World Expos as 'places of pilgrimage for fetish goods', where millions of articles were brought together to create a 'microcosm of the perfect bourgeois world'. In the wake of globalisation, where modern forms of communication and global travel are in abundance, such initiatives had long been obsolete. World Expos have to condense the current human condition and initiate new ideals. Aichi Expo 2005 might be modest in terms of its scale when compared to previous Expos, and its Pavilions do not create memorable icons. Yet, the attention to site selection, the design of temporary national Pavilions and the consideration of the continuing use of the site have been in tune with the initial mission of the Expo - to advocate the protection of the natural environment, a recycling society and sustainable development. It is a fruitful attempt to delineate a possible direction for our future.

Meng Ching Kwah