A 65-year-old Shanghai resident yesterday became the one millionth visitor to the host city's environmentally friendly renewable energy house at Expo 2010's Urban Best Practices Area.

The visitor surnamed Zhang, a retiree of the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe, received a crystal model of the pavilion, pins and books as gifts.

It was Zhang's second visit to the Expo and the Urban Best Practices Area was his main destination. Zhang lived near the UBPA.

The four-storey "Eco House" on the Puxi side of the Expo site is powered by solar and wind energy. It is geo-thermally heated so that its carbon footprint remains zero.

The house has several model rooms designed for different kinds of families - married couples, those with children and senior citizens - and features hi-tech appliances.

Its smart technology allows residents to remotely control appliances in the home when they are absent through computers or mobile phones.

The "Eco House" was inspired by three environmentally friendly buildings constructed in the Xinzhuang Industrial Zone in Minhang District in 2004.