When Switzerland unveiled the model of its national pavilion for World Expo Shanghai, the highlights included the very unique exterior decoration - some call it the "interactive and intelligent facade" - to be made of biodegradable resins extracted from soybeans. But the designer has decided to change the material to polycarbonate and here is why.

Valentin Spiess, CEO of design firm iart interactive explains that after the accidental fire at the CCTV tower, China now is paying special attention to building materials' flame resistant properties. Since the CCTV fire was triggered by fireworks, which will be used at the Shanghai World Expo, all buildings are required to be "absolutely resistant to fire," he told www.swissinfo.ch, a Chinese-language Web site owned by SRG SSR idée suisse. For fire safety purposes, Spiess and his team decided to switch to polycarbonate.

(Rendering image by Swiss Pavilion official site)

The red polycarbonate plates will carry dye-sensitized solar cells that are capable of generating electricity and LED lights. These units, attached to a curtain of woven aluminum, will illuminate whenever triggered by surrounding energy, including camera flash.

The units will be protected by individual, clear housing.