Santiago Calatrava's design for the UAE National Pavilion, inspired by a bird's wing, was selected from nine architectural proposals. This building will appear at the World Expo 2020, which will be held from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 in Dubai. As the architect admits, he was inspired to create this pavilion by the image of a falcon in flight. This is not the first time Calatrava turns to the winged world in search of a suitable shape: for example, the WTC transport terminal in New York, whose construction was completed just a few months ago, looks like a dove taking off.
In the pavilion of the Emirates on an area of 15 thousand m2 there will be an exhibition space, a conference hall, zones with cafes and VIP-halls. In addition, huge screens for demonstrating video materials and covered terraces can be seen on the visualizations. "The final version of the project will become a symbol of the bold and daring spirit of the United Arab Emirates", -
confident architect.
Santiago Calatrava is not the only star architect invited to participate in the world exhibition: besides him, such bureaus as Foster + Partners, BIG and Grimshaw are on the list, and the master plan for Expo 2020 was developed by an international firm
HOK. It is known that the entire exposition will occupy an area of 2 km2, and the UAE pavilion will be located in the very center.
The exhibition will spill over six months and will become a global stage for showcasing innovative ideas in architecture and culture. It is expected that during its operation, Expo 2020 will be visited by 25 million people. The theme of the World Exhibition is expressed in the slogan “Connecting minds, creating the future”, the key task is to find “sustainable” solutions to global problems.
