12 pavilions worth paying attention to at Expo 2020 in Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai, which opened on October 1, 2021, perfectly combines oriental luxury, Western technologies and the unthinkable by modern standards, when the whole world lives in a restricted movement mode, the number of impressions.

Marina Yushkevich

Photo: © Palladium Photodesign. Oliver Schuh + Barbara Burg

Conceived as a showcase of the most modern technologies and a conductor of new world values, Expo from its very foundation invariably turns into a parade of outstanding architecture, and pavilions become the main exhibits of the exhibition. Located on a 438-hectare site between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Dubai Expo 2020 was planned by the American architectural firm HOK, and its territory is decorated with 192 national pavilions, including those created by the world’s leading architects. The exhibition is held under the motto “Uniting minds, creating the future”, and its territory is divided into three thematic sectors — “Opportunity”, “Mobility” and “Sustainable Development”, each of which has its own conceptual pavilion of the same name, designed by the best bureaus of our time.

1. Mobility Pavilion, Foster + Partners

The pavilion, in the form of a shamrock characteristic of Foster’s bureau, whose petals hang over powerful futuristic—looking consoles, is dedicated to one of the key themes of the exhibition — mobility. The architects were inspired by the project of the future eco-city of Masdar in Abu Dhabi, which will exist exclusively on renewable energy sources. Mobility and movement have become both the theme of the exhibition and the basis of the architectural image: the expressive curves of the pavilion are emphasized by powerful aluminum slats-blinds, and inside the building there is the largest elevator in the world, lifting up to 160 people. In each of the three petal volumes there is a gallery with exhibitions on the history of travel — from the resettlement of peoples to mobility in the cities of the future. The London consulting company MET Studio worked on the immersive exposition. There is a park around the pavilion, along which the highway passes, where advanced vehicles are demonstrated in action.

Photo: Chris Goldstraw

2. Sustainable Development, Grimshaw Architects

The central pavilion of the cluster “Sustainable Development”, one of the most impressive and impressive, is designed to demonstrate the ability of architecture to become self-sufficient even in extreme climatic conditions. The pavilion is dedicated to alternative energy sources and resource conservation and resembles a giant crater made of 97% recycled steel, which collects storm water and dew. 4,912 solar panels installed on a 130-meter canopy and 18 “energy trees” generate 4 GWh of alternative energy per year.

Photo: Grimshaw Architects

The exhibition spaces of the pavilion are located mainly underground, and there is a garden around the building, which is used for filtration, supply and reuse of water. Exhibitions that take visitors on a journey through forests and seas, showing the beauty of the earth and the damage caused by man, were created by designers from New York Thinc in collaboration with the Eden Project. Naturally, the pavilion embodies “sustainable development», and itself complies with LEED platinum standards. A good look at this colossal structure is possible only from a bird’s-eye view or from the 9th floor of the exhibition press center.

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3. Pavilion “Opportunities», AGi Architects

The Mission Possible Pavilion is the main attraction in the zone of opportunities and is dedicated to how to “unlock the potential of people and communities, emphasizing that everyone has a role to play in creating positive change.” The building plays up the image of a large public square — because here people have to stick together. And its neutral universal architecture is another symbol of unification.

Photo: Íñigo Bujedo Aguirre

The Mission Possible block volumes are located under metal canopies covered with fabric, symbolizing, in turn, the dreams that people aspire to. The cloud element consists of six textile layers of fabric on metal structures that protect the area from direct sunlight. The canopy plays with transparency, light, shadows and color, constantly transforming depending on the time of day, light and people’s movements. The facade and floor of the pavilion are decorated with ceramic tiles that shine in the dark.

Photo: Íñigo Bujedo Aguirre

4. Pavilion of Great Britain, Es Devlin

The Pavilion of Great Britain was designed by the artist Es Devlin, who decided to present it as a poetic message to alien civilizations. The idea is directly related to one of Stephen Hawking’s latest projects, Breakthrough Message, a global competition that invited people around the world to think about what message they would leave for an alien civilization. The twenty-meter-high pavilion building is a structure on which words are highlighted, forming poems that are written in English and Arabic by artificial intelligence. The main exhibit and the main message is the building itself: there is no exposition in the traditional sense of the word inside the pavilion, but it is possible to suggest words for new poetic forms to artificial intelligence. This is the first pavilion in the history of world exhibitions created by a woman, and, of course, the most poetic image in the entire Expo.

Photo: Mahmoud Khaled/Expo 2020 Dubai

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5. UAE Pavilion, Santiago Calatrava

The pavilion of the host country is always in the spotlight, so it is no coincidence that the UAE invited Santiago Calatrava, a master of memorable romantic images, to create it. Its design is inspired by the shape of the wing of a flying falcon, which is one of the symbols of the country and is depicted on the coat of arms of the UAE. The motif of the bird and flight is one of the key ones in the work of Calatrava himself, so the authorship of the pavilion is easily read. The building looks light and dynamic, but, most importantly, it is really ready to move: “feathers” made of carbon fiber are able to turn, changing the image of the building and, if necessary, closing the solar panels on the roof. The complete external transformation of the building takes only three minutes.

Photo: © Palladium Photodesign. Oliver Schuh + Barbara Burg

In the center of the pavilion there is a spherical volume of the audience surrounded by a multi-level space for events, which is crowned with a round ceiling window with the Expo 2020 logo. A series of immersive exhibits tells about the history and future of the UAE.

Photo: © Palladium Photodesign. Oliver Schuh + Barbara Burg

6. Singapore Pavilion, WOHA

Singapore studio WOHA has created a national pavilion in the form of a tropical oasis, undoubtedly a very desirable image in the hot and arid climate of the UAE. The main message of the exhibition is to show Singapore’s willingness to fight the problems of global warming and become “one of the greenest places in the world.” In addition, WOHA architects expect that the pavilion will become an inspiring example for creating green projects anywhere in the world, even in the desert. The building is built around three plant-covered cones, inside which the exhibition spaces are located. The visitors’ route follows a chain of pedestrian paths that pass through the hanging gardens and lead inside the cones. The pavilion is powered by solar energy and desalination systems and has zero energy consumption throughout the entire six months of the Dubai Expo.

7. Pavilion of Finland, JKMM Architects

Finland has created one of the brightest and freshest pavilions at the exhibition, which is shining with lights and impressive with dynamic forms. Covering the building with a white industrial fabric, the architects of JKMM Architects decided to beat the image of snow-covered winter Finland under the scorching sun. On the other hand, the pavilion clearly refers to the theme of a tent or tent, which is close to both Finnish and Arab nomadic heritage. The interior is lined with curved latticed wooden slats designed to depict a romantic natural gorge. There is an exposition around showing how nature and modern technologies can be turned into a source of happiness. After all, Finland is officially recognized as the happiest country in the world.

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8. Pavilion of Russia, SPEECH Bureau

The Pavilion of Russia has become this year, undoubtedly, one of the most memorable and colorful in the entire exhibition. Solved in the form of two hemispherical domes built into each other, it embodies, according to the idea of its author Sergey Choban, the image of “Planet Russia” and symbolizes integrity and globality. The facades of the building, made of many intertwined multicolored tubes-threads, express the idea of movement, the development of meanings, knowledge and, of course, aspiration to the future. The motive of creating a form of multicolored lines refers to the tradition of the Russian avant—garde and the method of exprimatics invented by Yakov Chernikhov — the search for new forms with the help of free possession of the line. Technically, the “threads” are made of aluminum tubes with a diameter of 8 cm, which are bent at different radii and braid the volume of the pavilion in several directions. Central to the exposition of the Pavilion of Russia is the immersive performance “Mechanics of a Miracle».

9. Pavilion Poland, WXCA

The pavilion of Poland, located in the Mobility sector, is dedicated to the theme of migratory birds, since the country is really the center of their reproduction. For Europeans, storks are a symbol of happiness and harmony; in Arab culture, it is believed that they annually make a pilgrimage to Mecca; for Slavs, they are a model of fatherhood and family values. The light openwork pavilion made of wood is decorated with kinetic sculpture — hundreds of “cranes” — and turned into a multi-layered story about the beauty of Polish nature, international exchange, mobility, export of ideas and technologies.

10. Pavilion of the Republic of Korea, Moon Hoon and Motoyuki Architects

The pavilion attracts attention with its dynamic facade with cubes changing the pattern and color, which resembles card tricks of football stadium spectators or an incendiary rock concert. There are a total of 1,597 such cubes on the facade, representing abstract patterns of the theme of mobility and words of important messages. The rotating cube has one digital and three analog colored faces. It strives to be both digital and analog (digi_logue), which should bring diversity to the abundance of modern digital media facades. According to the architects, the rotating cubes are the perfect embodiment of the “well—expressed, cohesive and spontaneous energy of Koreans.”

Photo: Chang Mookkim

11. Swiss Pavilion, OSS and Bellprat Partner

The Swiss pavilion with its characteristic white crosses on a red background is not to be confused with any other country: in fact, externally, the pavilion is a mirror cube with a recess on the facade, and the recognizable symbol of the country is depicted on the carpet in front of it and reflected in the mirrors. The authors decided to talk about the strengths and opportunities of Switzerland in the field of education, research, innovation and business, but to do it beautifully, sensually with the help of a game of mirror reflections and allusions to the magnificent nature of the country. Inside is an exposition from the set designers Bellprat Partner offers an experience-a journey with adventures, including climbing a mountain through dense fog.

Photo: Sebastien Crettaz

12. “Women’s Pavilion», Cartier

The Women’s Pavilion, created in collaboration with Cartier, invites visitors to get acquainted with the stories and achievements of women, as well as stories about the role of women in various cultures where they remain “invisible». The pavilion’s message is “When women thrive, humanity thrives.”

The facade of the building is decorated with calligraphy — a poem dedicated to an activist for women’s rights in Nepal in the 1950s. Guests entering the pavilion pass through several halls, each of which has its own theme. First, visitors are greeted by the film of Nadine Labaki, the first Arab female director whose film was nominated for an Oscar. Then the “Room of Achievements” tells about the long road to gender equality, and in the next room the initiatives that will expand the rights of women in some countries are highlighted.

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