this design validates the motto of the world expo shanghai 2010 of ‘better city, better life’ showing how the restoration of urban green areas can improve city life. instead of trying to impress with an imposing building on the expo landscape, the mexican pavilion offers visitors a grass slope of 4,000 square meters and a colorful forest of kites where they can relax and play. the pavilion, ensconced beneath this slope, houses the permanent and temporary exhibition space, as well as a restaurant, cultural museum and museum shop. the pavilion’s most distinctive design feature is the panoply of colorful kites, a children’s favorite in both mexico and china, that while delighting the heart and eye provide much needed shade.