Welcome to the website of the Swedish Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010.

When our pavilion opens its doors on May 1 2010, everyone visiting the Shanghai Expo will be able to discover why Sweden is one of the world's most innovative countries. We are looking forward to seeing you there. We have many surprises planned.

But we're not quite ready yet. Until then, use this website to keep updated on our progress as we prepare for Expo. Right now, you can:

Watch the pavilion come to life:
The Swedish pavilion is a 3,000 square-meter steel structure being built in the Nordic area of the Expo grounds. You can explore its construction yourself — by navigating through a time series of high-resolution 360-degree panoramas on the home page. Be sure to try the full-screen mode. New panoramas are added weekly.

Find out about events before and during Expo:
Every day during Expo, the Swedish pavilion will be the setting for a wide range of events. But even before Expo starts, there are activities bringing Sweden to Shanghai in which you can participate — and you can find them in our event calendar. As we confirm new events, we'll add them to the calendar, so check back frequently, or subscribe.

Get news updates about our progress:
Follow news about the pavilion's construction, reports from our events, competition announcements, interviews and more on our news page.

Stay connected via your favorite social media:
Are you on Facebook? Become a fan of the Swedish Pavilion. Do you use Twitter to stay updated? Follow us. We post our videos to YouTube, our photos to Flickr and our news as RSS. If you are in China, we are also on Xiaonei, Kaixin001 and Douban, and provide a Chinese-language Twitter feed.

Find out about the sponsors behind Sweden's participation:
Costs for Sweden's participation in Shanghai Expo 2010 are being shared equally between Sweden's government and private enterprise. Find out which leading Swedish companies are underwriting this project.

Are you a journalist?
Visit www.expo2010.se, the website of the Swedish Expo Committee, where you can find information in Chinese, English and Swedish.

Quick facts about the pavilion:
The pavilion was designed by the architectural firm SWECO, and the concept aligns closely with Expo's main theme, "Better City, Better Life". Here is how the architects explain their work:

"Nature is close to the heart of every Swede and this makes it a natural starting point for innovation. Nature is a source of inspiration and creativity. What makes a city attractive is the networks which are created between people. An open, inviting and enriched urban room provides a good base for life energy and innovation. The pavilion will reflect the meeting between city and nature and the optimism and strength that can be created where they come together."

The pavilion comprises four cube-like structures that are arranged to form a cross-like space between them — a shape much like Sweden's flag when seen from above. The outside walls show a city-like grid; the inside walls are covered with images of nature. These cubes are connected by elevated walkways, and house the exhibition, VIP areas, a shop, a café, and a large covered courtyard — room enough for everyone.