The big (Romanian) apple moves to Shanghai

We’re starting to almost feel bad for Expo pavilion designers. When they're competing with designs the likes of the environmentally friendly Macau bunny pavilion and the dizzying Danish pavilion with its perpetual loop, free bikes, harbor bath and an ecological picnic, there’s only one thing for smaller country architects to do -- go weirder. And Romania is doing just that.

Romania is borrowing a page for the original Big Apple’s playbook and creating a US$3.5 million giant green apple designed to encourage healthy lifestyle.

Dubbed the "GreenOpolis," the pavilion was designed by SC M&C Strategy Development, and will cover about 21,527 square feet of space, according to Arch Daily. The five levels inside the apple will include music and cultural performance areas, plus restaurant, terrace and office facilities.

Think things can’t get any odder? Take a look at what South Korea has planned for the 2012 Expo.