Top 10 Pavilions to visit at Expo 2020 Dubai
The World Expo is an immersive cultural experience which features the latest innovations and thinking from around the globe. The current version of the Workd Expo is taking place in Dubai. Expo 2020 Dubai’s main theme is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, and aims to connect nations across the globe. Expo Dubai 2020 is the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East. For the first time in history, all the participating countries have pavilions.
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIES) – the governing body of internal exhibitions – describes The World Expo as ‘a global gathering of nations dedicated to finding solutions to pressing challenges of our time by offering a journey inside a universal theme through engaging and immersive activities.’ Participants in World Expos, including governments, international organisations and companies, have gathered to find solutions to universal challenges and to promote their products, ideas, their national brand, and their nations as destinations for tourism, trade and investment.
We visited the Expo 2020 Dubai this year to soak up the visionary ideas around the Expo’s 3 sub themes of sustainability, opportunity, and mobility. The Expo is also an architectural extravaganza with 200+ pavilions by countries from all over the world. An overwhelming sight, the world expo hosts visitors and cultures from across the globe. Even a full week is not enough to visit every pavilion at the expansive expo. If you plan to visit the Expo but have limited time in hand, we recommend you plan ahead and wear comfortable shoes!
Here are our picks for the top 10 pavilions to visit at the Expo 2020 Dubai, based on our first hand experience:
Terra, the Sustainability pavilion
Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the LEED Platinum certified Terra pavilion is the flagship pavilion of the Sustainability District, and one of the top 3 visited pavilions at the Expo. The design employs a series of technologies which act in unison to form a self-contained ecosystem. Terra features a 130-meter wide canopy along with 18 Energy Trees (E-Trees) which create their own solar power. Innovative irrigation techniques, including a greywater recycling system, aim to reduce water use in the landscape by 75%. Quite a feat in the desert landscape of the U.A.E.
The inner core of the pavilion features Equinox, a spectacular kinetic sculpture by celebrated British artist Mat Collishaw and curated by our client Futurecity. Equinox harnesses zoetrope technology, an early form of animation to create a captivating optical illusion featuring hundreds of insects on a giant water lily.
Terra, The Sustainability Pavilion. Image: Expo 2020 Dubai
Alif, the Mobility pavilion
Designed by Foster and Partners, The Mobility Pavilion is the flagship pavilion of the Mobility District. The ribbed and curved metal clad facade creates an illusion of movement through its form, and is designed to be reflective and self-shading.
The pavilion features cutting-edge mobility devices on display and the world’s largest passenger lift, which can transport 160+ people at a time. This lift takes visitors to the third level where they can then move down through successive galleries, viewing immersive and interactive installations. An amphitheatre, stage, and piazza host mobility-related events.
Alif, The Mobility Pavilion. Image: Expo 2020 Dubai
Mission Possible, The Opportunity pavilion
Designed by AGI Architects, The Opportunity Pavilion is the flagship pavilion of The Opportunity District. Mission Possible’s design resembles a plaza - a structure that transcends ages and cultures and represents connectivity amongst nations. The idea of a public plaza as a place to share human experiences is common to various cultures and ages. The pavilion also features a canopy representing clouds. The canopy floats 32 meters above the ground, symbolizing the dreams that people aspire to achieve.
The pavilion represents the idea that all social and cross-cultural opportunities can create an impact and that anything is possible. The pavilion embodies the theme of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The United Nations hub is situated at Mission Possible and will host a series of events that showcase the upsides of multilateralism.
Mission Possible, The Opportunity Pavilion. Image: Expo 2020 Dubai
UK pavilion
The UK Pavilion by Es Devlin has been designed to display a series of AI-generated poems to showcase a ‘Collective Message’ on it’s timber facade. The 20m-high cone structure is meant to showcase British innovations, from AI to space technology.
The inspiration to create the Collective Message is said to have come from renowned scientist Stephen Hawking. In 2015, three years before his death, he endorsed a competition in which people were invited to submit a potential message for an advanced alien civilization, with the goal of meaningfully representing mankind and our planet.
The UK Pavilion. Image: Alin Constantin Photography
UAE pavilion
The theme behind the design of the UAE Pavilion designed by Santiago Calatrava is connecting UAE’s past with it’s future, showcasing the nation’s pioneering spirit. The form of the UAE Pavilion with 28 movable carbon fibre wings symbolises the grace of a falcon, UAE’s national bird, taking flight. The wings can be opened within 3 minutes to reveal integrated photovoltaic panels.
The rooftop features the Oculus skylight. Designed to mirror the Expo 2020 logo, it is a fixed insulated glazing unit system that would let in light, while also maintaining cooler temperatures indoors. The building is LEED platinum certified.
The UAE Pavilion. Image: Tanisha Raffiuddin
Korea pavilion
Designed by Mooyuki Architects, the Korea Pavilion exhibition showcases our society’s advancement through technology. “Smart Korea, Moving the World to You'' represents Korea's strong will to lead the world towards a better future.
Shaped like a triangular fort, the structure features 1597 digital+analogue spinning cubes on its slanted walls. The pavilion’s dynamic façade constantly changes throughout the day. Four cantilever ramps offer the best views of the Expo site and the pavilion features an amphitheatre.
Korea Pavilion. Image: Tanisha Raffiuddin
Japan Pavilion
Designed by Yuko Nagayama, Japan Pavilion combines traditional Arabesque and Japanese origami motifs to represent the ties between Japan and the Middle East. Most of the 3D facade is covered in Japanese origami shapes, which symbolises respect shown to others through the Japanese art of origami gift-wrapping.
The pavilion design features a natural cooling system - a large body of water that surrounds the structure. This serves both an aesthetic and practical purpose. A soft thin layer of material inspiring Japanese traditional paper shades the pavilion from sunlight.
The Japan Pavilion. Image: Tanisha Raffiuddin.
Netherlands pavilion
Designed by V8 Architects, the Dutch Pavilion is a biotope that harvests its own water, energy, and food. Located at the sustainability district, the pavilion showcases an 18-metre-high cone-shaped vertical farm covered in edible plants on the outside and mushrooms on the inside.
The structure helps regulate temperature and moisture inside the cone. Water is harvested from air humidity and used for plant irrigation, with the pavilion extracting 800 litres of water daily.
Netherlands Pavilion. Image: Tanisha Raffiuddin
Brazil pavilion
Designed by JPQ.ARQ, MMBB Arquitetos, and Ben Avid, the Brazil pavilion stands for the motto “Together for sustainable development”. The pavilion invites visitors to discover Brazil’s incredible diversity - from flora and fauna to arts and culture. The design recreates the Amazon basin. The pavilion’s main exhibition floor is flooded with a thin layer of water that visitors are meant to walk through.
The pavilion itself is made up of a white steel structure enclosed by water-resistant fabric that serves as a backdrop for immersive video projections on Brazil’s culture, backwaters, and renewable energy sources. The funnel shaped roof collects rainwater and all lighting fixtures include low power consumption LEDs. The main exhibition floor, covered in black sanded, non-slip, concrete, takes on a reflective quality, mirroring the steel structure and translucent walls.
Brazil Pavilion. Image: Tanisha Raffiuddin.
Russia pavilion
Designed by Sergei Tchobani, The Russia Pavilion illustrates how we can connect people globally despite our differences. The motto: ‘Creative Mind: Driving the Future’ frames a showcase of the country’s scientific and cultural achievements.
The psychedelic design is in the form of two domes colliding. Multicolored threaded tubes constantly change direction on the pavilion’s mind-bending facade to create a visual illusion. The threads appear to stretch infinitely and the domes seem to be spinning.
Russia Pavilion. Image: Tanisha Raffiuddin.
Don't miss out!
As the first world expo to ever take place in the Middle East, the site has been designed with commercial advancement in mind. Its site aims to transform 80% of its area into residential and commercial buildings after the expo. This site will be called “District 2020” which will aim to become a blueprint for future smart cities. Some of the thematic pavilions will also be transformed into museums.
Expo 2020 Dubai is open for visitors until 31st March 2022.
For those who are unable to travel, you can experience the expo from the comfort of your own home virtually– visit virtualexpodubai.com .