Thomas Heatherwick could be forced to revise his designs for Britain鈥檚 pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo following the safety debacle on his B of the Bang project in Manchester
Consultants on the Shanghai project are understood to be concerned about safety following the problems on the B of the Bang sculpture.The architect paid Manchester council 拢1.7m in an out-of-court settlement last month after one of the sculpture鈥檚 180 steel spikes fell off in 2006.
It is understood the Shanghai project team has been called into crunch meetings with the UK government, the client, just weeks before construction is due to start to ensure the building (pictured) will be safe. Heatherwick is understood to have been asked to 鈥渟implify the design鈥�.
Heatherwick鈥檚 拢12m pavilion, the UK鈥檚 showcase building for the 2010 international fair, is to be sheathed in thousands of 8m-long, swaying spines.
A source close to the project said: 鈥淲hen the problems in Manchester happened, you had the costs people saying, 鈥楲et鈥檚 just change the thing and simplify the design鈥�, but Heatherwick鈥檚 team said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 manage the risk and make sure nothing like this could happen here.鈥欌��
He added: 鈥淗eatherwick won鈥檛 oversimplify, because he knows he鈥檚 on a strong wicket here and he has had the client鈥檚 ear all along. It has really bought into the concept.鈥�
We can't say we don't have any worries.
Lar Pak Hung, Davis Langdon & Seah
Lai Pak Hung, managing director at Davis Langdon & Seah, which is working on the Shanghai scheme for the Foreign Office, said: 鈥淲e can鈥檛 say we don鈥檛 have any worries.
鈥淕iven it鈥檚 the Expo, it鈥檚 not just about safety 鈥� it鈥檚 political. It could affect the UK鈥檚 relationship with the Chinese government. Nobody can afford any failure.鈥�
The design team had already made a number of changes to the scheme before the settlement, including reducing the number of spines on the project and making them from aluminium instead of bamboo.
Thomas Heatherwick was unavailable for comment.
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