Expo 2020: Listing down the structures that make up its magnificence

Preparations for the Expo are in full swing, and the entire city seems to be coming alive with the spirit of the world expo. The organisers seem to be leaving no stone unturned in the construction of iconic structures, country pavilions, sites for Dubai’s future projects and also include the extension of the Dubai’s Metro Red Line, along with other essential site elements. 

Let’s take a quick tour of the different structures built at the site, along with the huge amounts of money involved.

The Expo has three main sub-themes. Each of these sub-themes has a specific pavilion dedicated to it.

Sustainability pavilion: Grimshaw Architects are building this pavilion. The net construction value of the pavilion is $24m. After Expo 2020, the pavilion will be converted into the District 2020 Children & Science Centre.

Mobility pavilion: The Architect of this pavilion is Foster + Partners. The net construction value of the pavilion is $80m. Once the Expo culminates, the pavilion will be converted into office buildings.

Opportunity pavilion: Cox Architecture is building the structure. The net construction value of the pavilion is $22m. Unlike the other two pavilions, this pavilion will be dismantled after the Expo ends.

Dubai Exhibition Centre: This huge centre has a net construction value of whopping $353m and will host conferences, seminars and other Expo events.

Route 2020 Metro Line: This extended metro line comes with a dedicated Expo metro station.

On-Site Nursery: The area has an on-site nursery that is home to about 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 mature trees. An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees will be added in the time leading up to the Expo.

Sabeel 2020: An Initiative built in collaboration with Art Jameel; the initiative has invited design proposals for the 45 drinking water fountains that are installed across the site.

UAE Pavilion: Santiago Calatrava has designed this pavilion. The net construction value of this structure is $96m.

Al-Wasl Plaza: This plaza is said to be the ‘Heart of the Expo site’. The architect of this event is Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill. It has a steel trellis dome whose final piece was installed on 15th September 2019. Once the Expo 2020 event ends, the structure will be converted into an exhibition and concert venue

After the Expo ends, the site will be transformed into District 2020, an integrated community that will be integrated into future Dubai projects. It plans to reuse up to 80 per cent of the Expo’s built-in environment. 

Here are some facts about Expo 2020:

• All the structures built for Expo 2020 have been designed to achieve LEED Gold certification
• 32,000 Workers have been engaged on-site until now for the development of the Expo and have involved around 100 million + work hours till September 2019. 
• Three hundred thousand people were accommodated on site every day (which when you think about it, is thrice the capacity of London’s Wembley Stadium). 
• The Expo will be hosting pavilions of 192 countries. 
• More than 30000 volunteers will be working during the event. 
• The Expo delivery team will have about 50% of women constituting it. 
• Around AED 2 Billion is expected to be collected from sales of food and beverage outlets.