DUBAI // A massive dome with trellis framework is being designed as the structure that will dominate the Expo 2020 site in Dubai South.
The design plans for Al Wasl Plaza were unveiled on Monday and showed a dome that would double up as a 360-degree screen at night, projecting images to thousands of visitors both inside and outside.
Built of light, translucent material, the dome – 65 metres tall with a diameter of 150m – will hold an estimated 10,000 visitors, said Ahmed Al Khatib, vice president of property at Expo 2020 Dubai.
A public tender would be released soon for Al Wasl Plaza, for which building will be completed by the end of 2019.
Filled with fountains, waterfalls, parks and palm-lined courtyards, the dome will be partly open to the sky at the top.
“Al Wasl is a significant area because it means ‘connection’ in Arabic and is the historical name for Dubai, and it aims to be a link between the east and west even in the Expo,” Mr Al Khatib said.
“It will be a central hub linking all three thematic pavilions of sustainability, opportunity and mobility.”
Infrastructure work on the Expo 2020 site will be completed by July 2018 and heavy construction will be finished by October 2019.
While a cost estimate for the plaza would be available after the tender was granted, the theme areas on the site will cost about Dh2.2 billion.
Described as the last major design element at the centre of the 4.38-square kilometre site, it will be developed alongside other locations such as the themed pavilions.
The high domed trellis was inspired by the shape of the Expo 2020 Dubai logo, a 4,000-year-old gold ring discovered during excavations in the Sarouq Al Hadeed archaeological site in the desert.
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) beat global competition to win the contract for the plaza. Adrian Smith was a design partner on the team that designed the Burj Khalifa.
“We are creating a space that will be an architectural landmark not just for the six months of Expo but long into the future,” said Gordon Gill, design partner at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
The plaza will be a staging area for events throughout Expo 2020 Dubai and will continue after the world fair ends in 2021.
“This will be the main area receiving visitors from the metro station and the UAE pavilion will overlook it,” Mr Al Khatib said.
“The design is flexible so small and large events can be held here. It can also be used for National Day activities and festivities. Past the expo, the area inside will also be used as a natural garden because the light materials used will not allow heat and radiation to enter. Traditionally expo sites were built temporarily and then demolished. But we have a post-expo team with a clear plan for its usage.”
Apart from renewable energy that will be produced from the solar panel canopy of the pavilions, water from sinks and showers will also be used for irrigation.
On the vast site off the Jebel Ali - Lehbab road, a 75-year old goaf tree stands on a large mound of sand as workers in cranes level the surrounding area and storm water pipes are laid. The tree will be retained as part of the project,
The UAE national flag has been raised on the section earmarked for the country’s pavilion.
Columns have been cast for the Dubai Metro and three power plants under construction will be operational by the year-end. Construction is also on for logistic support for the expo village that will be the first to be completed.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
UPI facts
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Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
