Visiting Expo 2020 Dubai was an interesting and memorable experience in every aspect. There was something exciting to try and document at every corner or intersection from beginning to end. Journeying through the site and its countless buildings, facilities, and parks while stopping and exploring different pavilions on the way made me appreciate the minds behind this beautiful masterplan concept. All joined by Al Wasl Plaza, an open-air theatre where many events were held under an intricate dome structure that projected beautiful arabesque patterns, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Listening to the Adhan under the dome was a truly immersive experience.

One of the first pavilions I explored was Saudi Arabia Pavilion; a massive, inclined volume rising towards the sky with its majestic, cantilevered structure and a fully animated LED facade, designed by Boris Micka Associates. The building expresses the rapid transformations and new horizons the country has reached in the last few years. The interior sections transport visitors through a mesmerizing journey permeated with history, culture, nature, and future, supported with the latest audiovisual immersive technology.

Expo 2020 Dubai, with its carefully curated themed districts, offered a unique platform for nations to exhibit their achievements in various areas of Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability. We experienced the blending of cultures and innovations and their profound messages from around the globe. The Opportunity District celebrates human experience by spreading valuable ideas and fostering people’s positive interconnections. Its main pavilion, Mission Possible, along with other countries’ pavilions craft special moments and interactive displays that challenge visitors to think differently about global issues and aspire them to create a better world.

Located in the Opportunity District is Switzerland Pavilion - or ‘Reflections.’ Inspired by Bedouin tents and the beautiful scenery of Switzerland, we were welcomed by a larger-than-life mirrored facade and red carpet. Once inside, we walked through a sea of fog in an attempt to simulate hiking through the Swiss mountains. The tour culminated in an exhibition hall showcasing Swiss innovations. The concept itself was straightforward and easily conceivable, but I did not feel that it connected people to each other. It rather connected people to the nature of Switzerland only and provided a nice backdrop for photography.

Right next to Switzerland Pavilion is Austria Pavilion, designed by Querkraft and characterized by its sheer simplicity. It comprises of 47 truncated cones built from 9,000-year-old soil, and explores the benefits of low-tech materials. The clay cones, cut at different heights, provides natural light and ventilation. I found the place so serene and calm with its emphasis on engaging the senses instead of overloading them with high-tech bright screen projections. “The pavilion is intended to serve the purpose of reflection, to come to rest in a hectic time, and communicates with the visitors via an intercultural visual language that is wordless but not speechless: in dialogue with Austria, the focus is on the individual,” Electronica.

From waiting in line to exiting through the back door into the sunlit open space, Kazakhstan pavilion offered a fulfilling, beautiful and magical experience. Rich in culture, aesthetically embellished, future-driven, and modern, yet inspired by tradition, the Kazakh pavilion presents itself as a portal to the past, present, and tomorrow. The external façade of the elegant building with its organic openings and perforations resembles Kazakhstan’s ‘Kalpak’ hat in shape and reflects the latticework of Kazakh yurts. The perforated shell and curvilinear archway provide a glimpse into the core, cladded with gold surfaces, that is treated as a ‘Treasure Box.’ Once we passed the arched gate, we were seamlessly guided from one space to the next as if we were wandering in a dream world. We stepped into a simulated environment of the ‘Great Steppe;’ the ‘natural’ landscape was brought to life by atmospheric, multi-sensory installations and screens, further amplified by artificial grass and full-height mirrors. We enjoyed learning all about the interesting historical artefacts and the local nomadic heritage via tactile surfaces and interactive exhibits. The end show was the highlight of our journey; set in a panoramic cinema, a skilled acrobat interacted with a robotic arm in sequential and synchronized choreography movements. A musical artistic high-tech performance was indeed the Kazakh way of saying “see you again in the future!”  

Probably, one of the most popular and talked about pavilions is Germany Pavilion, also known as ‘Campus Germany.’ The building itself is an engineering masterpiece designed by LAVA; an ensemble of suspended cubes emerging from a forest of steel poles crowned by a floating roof. Stacking the cantilevered cubes simultaneously connects and delineates interior spaces to house different activities and generates a spacious, shaded, central atrium for gatherings. The result is a multi-performative mass that responds well to the harsh climatic context outside and supports visitors’ interactions inside. Vertical passageways connect the clustered themed labs and terraces and facilitate smooth transitions and waiting intervals. Such successful circulation planning allowed us to move freely and take breaks between different areas whilst actively participating in interactive activities and multimedia colorful displays and engaging with others. There was not a lost or vacant moment. There was a shared feeling of connectedness, inclusiveness, and sense of community carried throughout the whole experience. Eventually, we swung in the ‘Graduation Hall,’ where such simple motion, when executed together, is transformed into mechanized, emotional, and dynamic lighting kinetic show. Germany Pavilion proved to be a place of research, exchange, and encounter. Our experience was enlightening, entertaining and fun!