What does this design say about Canada's architectural prowess?

In a story written by the Globe and Mail's architecture critic Lisa Rochon and then carried by Treehugger.com, Canada's architects come out against the Cirque du Soleil's low-tech, clown-and-juggler design approach in what appears to be a universal chorus of condemnation. The architects are not happy. Says Rochon:

     "Other nations launch architecture competitions and unveil their designs with much fanfare in what has become a kind of Olympics of architecture and art. Not you, Mr. Canada. You farm out the commission for the Canadian Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai to a circus corporation. Oh, Canada. Hewer of wood and drawer of water. You dumb cluck. You allow a monumental nation-branding building to be conceived without an architect." Ouch.

Foremost among the complaints is the fact that Canada did not have a competitive process in place, unlike Italy's pavilion which got a cutting-edge modular pavilion made of, get this—transparent concrete, after architect Giampaolo Imbrighi won a Europe-wide competition for rights to design it.

Secondly, though Cirque du Soleil did employ Montreal firm Saia Barbarese Topouzanov Architectes to finesse the conceptual design for the pavilion, the architects get absolutely no credit, only Cirque is cited on publicly released architectural renderings—take that architects!

In the article Rochon goes on to skewer the pavilion's green design as predictable greenwashing with Treehugger chiming in "How is constructing a temporary exhibition building anything close to sustainable?"

However, they do go on to say that "exhibitions can be wonderful test beds of design," pointing to the Swiss pavilion, which held a world-wide design competition to select its designer. The Swiss pavilion's walls are made of degradable soybeans with dye-sensitized solar cells providing power making it both sustainable—and edible?

In all fairness, though the Canada pavilion will probably not provide the momentary wow of the UAE's sensual dune-like curves, or the State Grid's massive internal and external video screens, it will provide Expo-goers with an experience likely to be both more memorable and enjoyable thanks to Cirque's talent-packed program, one whose 150 performers and events are so numerous they can't be housed in the pavilion alone and will spill out into nearby Americas Square.

At Expo's end, visitors may not remember Canada's architecture, but they'll probably still be thinking "Canada, wow!"

More Shanghai Expo 2010-related articles on Chinatravel.net:

Peruvian cuisine to tantalize at Shanghai Expo

Pandas vs. Haibao: Shanghai Expo 2010 cuteness showdown

Australian pavilion sneak peak

Like American Expo pavilion, Haibao suddenly better endowed