Expo 2020 Dubai: Public gets first glimpse of stunning Sustainability Pavilion

People can at last check out the eco-friendly architectural wonder

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Reporter: Ramola Talwar. News. ExpoÕs Sustainability Pavilion opens to the public. Dubai. Thursday, January 21st, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The striking “sustainability pavilion” at Expo 2020 Dubai opened its doors to the public on Friday.

Spanning 6,300 square metres, the structure uses solar energy and recycled water.

Its greywater system reduces water use by as much as 75 per cent.

Sustainability is one of the expo’s three themes.

While the world’s fair won’t open officially until October 1, people can now have a glimpse of the site’s attractions.

Tickets cost Dh25 and must be booked online. The Expo 2020 site opens from 3pm to 9pm from Tuesdays to Thursdays, and from 4pm to 10pm at weekends, from January 22 to April 10.

For more information visit the Expo 2020 website.

Dubai Expo site - in pictures

The Sustainability pavilion. The 130-metre wide canopy, called Terra, features 1,055 solar panels which will generate 4GWh of alternative energy per year, enough electricity to charge more than 900,000 mobile phones.

The Sustainability pavilion. It will offer visitors the chance to explore humankind’s relationship with nature, excessive consumerism, and how we can change our everyday choices to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact.

The Sustainability Pavilion. It features irrigation techniques such as a greywater recycling system, which aim to reduce water use by 75 per cent.

The Expo 2020 Mobility Pavilion features the world’s largest passenger lift, which will transport more than 160 people at a time. It also has a 340-metre track, which is partly underground and partly in the open-air, to showcase cutting-edge mobility devices in action.

The Expo 2020 Mobility Pavilion will also display a hyperloop capsule in action.

Organisers say the Expo 2020 Mobility Pavilion will showcase how mobility will continue to transform the way we live, connect with people, understand different cultures, and exchange knowledge and ideas.

Al Wasl Pavilion. Meaning ‘connection’ in English, Al Wasl is also the historical name for Dubai. The steel trellis is the centrepiece of the site, where all roads meet, and reflects the world fair’s aim to bring people together.

The Al Wasl pavillion. The moulded steel dome is 130-metres wide, 67-metres tall and weighs more than 500 tonnes. Taller than the leaning tower of Pisa and one of the largest single structures on the site, Al Wasl will be a permanent installation that will remain after the world fair ends in April 2021.

A rendering of Al Wasl pavillion. Fountains, parks and restaurants have also been planned across the plaza area.

Al Wasl pavillion. Al Wasl Plaza’s trellis design was inspired by an ancient golden ring found in the Saruq Al Hadid site by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. It also reflects the intertwined logo of the Expo 2020.

Dubai Exhibition Centre. It offers 45,000 square metres of event space. It is just 300m from the heart of the Expo site and is adjacent to the Dubai Metro Route Station 2020.

Dubai Exhibition Centre.The 28,000 sqm South Complex is divided into nine halls that can host 300 to 20,000 people, while the 17,000 sqm North Complex has five halls that can accoodate 200 to 11,000 people.

Dubai Exhibition Centre. It also has 24 meeting rooms and four suites for workshops, seminars and gala dinners.