EXPO Milan 2015 | The UAE pavilion by Foster + Partners

EXPO 2015 – United Arab Emirates Pavilion

The pavilion of the United Arab Emirates at the Expo Milan 2015 by Foster + Partners has been one of the most awaited, both for of its design and because the Emirates will hosts the next 2020 World Fair in Dubai.

The, quite intriguing, 140 meters-long canyon-like space by Foster + Partners, defined by a series of 12 meters-high curvilinear walls, has been inspired both to the narrow self-shaded pedestrian streets of the traditional UAE cities, a urban layout which provides a naturally high energy efficiency, and to the forms of the desert environment. To further enhance the relationship between the pavilion and the fascinating landscape of the Emirates, the walls are textured with images inspired to the shady patterns of real desert sand dunes.

Nature, culture, architecture, community life and traditions of the Emirates are also reminded in more immaterial forms, for example through a digital reconstruction of the aqueducts that have traditionally made possible to sustain agriculture in the Emirates’ dry climate, or by using augmented reality devices to narrate the long history of the country, or again through interactive exhibits presenting Dubai as the host city of the 2020 Expo. Along with the main exhibition, a broad range of events is featured in the multimedia auditorium, which forms the core of the UAE pavilion. At the end of the exhibition itinerary, the visitors will be able to take a pause in a green oasis, with plants evoking the flora of the Emirates, also providing access to a café and a restaurant, featuring Emirates’ modern cuisine.

The pavilion will be made of a modular steel structure clad with glass-reinforced concrete panels; thus making possible to easily disassemble the building and eventually reconstruct it in the Emirates. The adoption of state-of-the-art solutions related to materials recycling, use of passive energy, natural shading and cooling, rainwater collecting and energy generation though photovoltaic panels, targets the pavilion to a LEED ‘Platinum’ level.

Text by Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit
Images Copyright 2014 UAE Expo 2015
Photos Copyright Inexhibit, 2015, all rights reserved