In November 2013, Dubai became the proud winner of the bid to host the World Expo in 2020. The last such expo was held in 2017 at Astana, Kazakhstan. Previous expos have had themes such as ‘Man and his World’, ‘Leisure in the age of Technology’, ‘Discovery’ and so on. The theme of the 2020 Expo is to be 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future', which is divided into three subthemes: Mobility, Sustainability, and Opportunity.
The expo is to be a showcase for different countries of the world all in one place; a 173 day event offering new experiences as well as the chance to innovate, collaborate and create.
The event will feature 15+hours of entertainment each day, 190 pavilions, 200+ restaurants and 60 live shows daily. Visitors would have the chance to check out the future of travel with the Hyperloop, new technology, meet gnasher the machine that can ‘eat’ endlessly and get a bird’s eye view from the top of a rotating observation tower.
The Austrian expo pavilion not only has photovoltaic cells on the rooftop to produce energy but is also made using sustainable building materials. The structure is inspired by the "barjeel" wind tower that uses natural ventilation features.
This will feature an open plan exhibition space with 17 tents in the form of solar chimneys covering it. This uses another ancient method of reducing heat transmission to lower energy consumption using low tech methods.
Here as well the architect designers have used traditional technology for natural ventilation and to build mass for heat accumulation using the power of the sun to create a biotope. This unique structure will grow veggies on the outside, the dark inside will support mushroom cultivation and moisture from the air will be condensed and used.
It will use bio-sourced materials, and renewable resources and smart tech to grow plants. The structure will be covered in greenery; an oasis of 10,000 plants to cool the interiors and will produce more energy than it consumes.
Drawing on the nation’s seafaring heritage, this pavilion will feature an interactive journey into the deep. It will address environmental issues and showcase cutting edge solutions to overcome these issues.
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