A VIEW OF EXPO 2020 Dubai from the Saudi Arabia Pavilion. Photos in this piece are courtesy of Dr Passakon Prathombutr unless otherwise noted. Every five years, nations gather in one location for a six-month event. The host city invites these nations to build "pavilions" – physical structures that house exhibitions showcasing their unique selling points. This gathering is massive. To give you an idea of its magnitude, the previous two events drew nearly 100 million visitors combined.
Among the many names it is given, "World's Fair" and "International Exhibition" stand out, as does its official name "Expo"(an abbreviation for "exposition"). "Expo" is an occasion for entrepreneurs to travel and meet with one another. The prefix "World" ("World Expo") is sometimes used to distinguish between the main event, which occurs every 5 years and lasts 6 months, and "Specialized Expos," which last 3 months and occur more frequently. There has never been a single event where global firms, individuals and countries have been more present than the Expo.
It is where inventors get a sneak peek of what may become the latest technology affecting the world. For example, Expos were the first to debut technological innovations such as fax machines, telephones and mobile phones, X-Ray machines, and flatscreen televisions to name a few. Food entrepreneurs look back on Expos where the hamburger, ice cream, hot dogs, peanut butter, iced tea, and ketchup were first introduced to the world.
For architects, Expo is a "Mecca of new ideas." Many inventive architectural ideas, e.g., the Eiffel Tower, the Atomium, the Space Needle, capsule hotels, and the geodesic dome, used the Expos to gauge the interest of the public. The famous photograph of World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893: Known as one of the most important gatherings of human beings in the history. Photograph: C. D. Arnold (1844-1927); H. D.
Higinbotham - The Project Gutenberg EBook of Official Views Of The World's Columbian Exposition, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50469469 This year's Expo takes place at the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Though the global pandemic pushed the event back a year to 2021, organizers ' stuck to its original name, "Expo 2020 Dubai." It represents the first time that the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia have held a major event of this scale (the second will be next year when Doha, Qatar, will host soccer's World Cup).
The famous skyline of Dubai in the UAE. Photo by ZQ Lee on Unsplash Back in November 2013, Dubai won the bidding with the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future." Nations compete to host the Expo, just like the Olympic Games and other important conferences. Apart from the prestige of hosting the world's most important gathering, Expo is a great opportunity to create "stories" about an emerging city and economy.
Looking at an overhead picture of this massive 4.3 square kilometer Expo site in Dubai, the design represents three characteristics of modern UAE: s peed, scale, and seriousness. The site could easily be mistaken for a vast artificial city built on vision, wealth, and power – and a conscious desire to loudly and boldly proclaim these qualities to the rest of the world. Expo During the Pandemic Traveling to Dubai was our first experience traveling outside of Thailand since the pandemic has restricted international travel.
We were expecting some serious health protocols. Apart from the on-site PCR test upon arrival at the airport, however, Dubai did not look like a city in the middle of a pandemic. There was no quarantine requirement, and the medical staff who performed the PCR test only asked for our contact information – just in case the result came out positive.
Otherwise, we simply picked up our luggage from the belt and headed to the airport's exit just like the tens of thousands of other business and leisure travelers entering Dubai daily. Not only were businesses operating as usual, but restrictions were also comparatively more relaxed than in many other places. Dubai's Expo had received more than three million visitors two months after its October 1 opening, which is an unexpectedly high number given that most targeted global visitors could not travel.
Dubai made sure that preventative measures were strict and effective. Even with a ticket, every visitor was required to present a vaccination certificate. Expo staff from any nation receive free vaccinations and tests any time throughout the length of the event if they think they might have contracted the virus. Visitors -- all wearing masks -- participating in daily parades and public events at the main spine of Expo 2020 Dubai.
During our six weeks in Dubai, we met hundreds of people, some formally but many casually, such as while eating at a food truck or drinking from a public tap across from the site. Most of Expo's visitors were locals, or more precisely, expats living in Dubai for business. Although Dubai already boasts many artificial theme-park-like attractions, such as the Global Village or the Palm Jumeirah, local visitors, and tourists with whom we spoke were nevertheless thrilled about the Expo.
It appears as though we all miss the opportunity for a worldwide meeting of minds. Based on our conversations with Expo's organizers, staff, and visitors, there are three reasons why nations participate in these Expos. For starters, nothing beats a face-to-face meeting, especially for investors and entrepreneurs looking for opportunities to measure themselves against their rivals. This so-called "Expo Magic" always draws a large crowd. Even after 170 years, Expo still serves as both a platform – and an excuse – for a physical encounter.
Second, Expo is both a private membership club and a public gathering. That is, a country must qualify to be invited to participate, yet once there, it speaks to the entire world. Like athletes who compete to qualify for the Olympics, all eyes are on them. A country's absence from the Expo, like that from the Olympics, sends a strong message about its competence.
Not only does representation at the Expo convey that they are "doing something," but it also signals that they are "doing it well." Historically, Expo has played an important role in boosting both investment and tourism especially for nations whose appearances at major events, be it sports, cultural, or business, is rare. "Soft power," too, is another term frequently used by both supporters and critics of the expo. Unlike "hard" or military power, soft power is a persuasive approach to international relations.
As countries choose the face they want to present, Expo is the world's largest arena in which they can project economic or cultural influence. For example, the sheer size and number of visitors to Expo 2010 undeniably put Shanghai back on the map as a global city. Third, Expo 2020 Dubai is especially valuable to humanity because it provides a message of optimism.
We have been living in the shadow of the pandemic for the past two years, and many people cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Nonetheless, the UAE and more than 190 other countries have declared that they will not be defeated. It takes a lot of planning and organization to pull off an event of this magnitude, yet they did it with only a year's notice.
Products, Progress, Preparation, and Post-Event According to the World Expo historian Charles Pappas, the Expo's nearly two centuries of history can be summarized as the "3Ps": Products, Progress, and Preparation. The idea of a "great exhibition" was first conceived in the mid- nineteenth century when entrepreneurs held a large event in London to display their competitive products. The some thirty subsequent "large-scale exhibitions" that followed were all about showcasing new products.
However, two catastrophic world wars prompted participating countries and the official organizing body of the Expo – known as the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) – to shift the focus from products to the promotion of "mutual progress." In other words, the focus shifted from international competition to comprehension. The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. Photo: Read & Co.
Engravers & Printers - View from the Knightsbridge Road of The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park for Grand International Exhibition of 1851. Dedicated to the Royal Commissioners., London: Read & Co. Engravers & Printers, 1851., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48718934 Since the first decade of the twenty-first century, however, "Expo" has shifted its emphasis once again, this time to fostering human readiness to live in a world in which the effects of our actions will define how we live and thrive as a species.
The message here is the significance of teamwork in preserving the earth and preventing calamities, as the main topic – "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" – implies. Without a doubt, this Expo sends a strong message that we, as humans, will triumph if we are prepared. An aerial view of Expo'70 in Osaka, Japan, where mobile telecommunications were introduced to the world for the first time. Photograph: https://www.zimmerit.moe/expo-70-osaka-gainax-patlabor/ Another thing that makes Expo 2020 Dubai interesting from the perspective of planning and design is a "Fourth P": Post-Event.
Expos have created compelling stories for host cities. Many cities in recent memory have made their mark on the global landscape after having hosted the Expo such as Seattle (1962), Montreal (1967), Osaka (1970), Seville (1992), and Shanghai (2010). A view of the Expo in Shanghai held in 2010 -- the largest Expo ever held in terms of space, land use, and number of visitor.
Photo by Cesarexpo - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10386331 Unlike previous Expos, where pavilions and most buildings were erected only for the duration of the proceedings, Expo 2020 plans to keep at least two-thirds of the buildings to use after the event. The site of Expo 2020 will be transformed into "District 2020," a world-class innovation hub for startups and worldwide players in advanced technology. The Expo 2020 Metro Station is the last station on the Dubai Metro.
"District 2020" will almost certainly breathe life into what may, on the surface, appear to be a large venue "in the middle of nowhere" that might otherwise have been abandoned after the event. Several influential corporations such as Siemens, Terminus, and DP World have already agreed to be long-term tenants of District 2020. With an ambitious objective and strong advantages like tax and rent-free business setup, it is easy to see how the project will attract the "best and brightest" of the global startups.
Expo 2020 Dubai has cooperated with world-class technology companies to design cutting-edge infrastructure that will easily transition to use in research and development for digital innovation. In other words, District 2020 is a model "smart city" for innovation. A rendering of District2020 an innovation district that Expo 2020 Dubai will become after the event ends on March 31, 2022. Photo: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/district-2 020-calls-for-start-ups-to-be-part-of- its-innovation-ecosystem Architecture of the Pavilions The expansive site of Expo 2020 Dubai is divided into three main districts named after the event's sub-themes: Mobility, Opportunity, and Sustainability.
These three districts fan out like fingers from a central "palm": the world's largest single-span dome, dubbed "Al Wasl Plaza." "Al Wasl" is an intentional pun, as it means "connecting" and is also the historical name for Dubai, thus alluding to both the Expo's theme and the host city. Once the masterplan was completed in 2017, participating nations were asked to choose one of the three sub-themes, which would determine the location of their pavilion. Nations could either build their own standalone pavilions or convert pre-built rectangular cubes.
"Look like a dream" -- an actual 360 degree of the Al Wasl Plaza. Photo: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/expo/look-expo-2020-dubais- stunning-al-wasl-dome-looks-like-a-dream Although the former was frequently favored as a better way to attract visitors, the construction cost for a standalone pavilion was high. As a result, for many countries, the pre-built boxes made far more economic sense. That said, many countries still strive to showcase their prowess through standalone pavilions. Among the largest pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai belong to the UAE, France, Italy, India, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Korea, Russia, and Kuwait.
While the host provides the basic infrastructure, participating nations pay for the design, construction, and maintenance of the building. As one can imagine, this Expo generates massive revenue for local construction companies, contractors, and architects. The UAE Pavilion designed by the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, located right at the heart of the Expo's site. Each of the three districts has a "signature" pavilion designed by world-famous architects and uses expressive architectural language to deliver cutting-edge ideas.
For example, Grimshaw Architects from the United Kingdom designed the "Terra" pavilion for the Sustainability District. As a topic, sustainability never goes out of style. The environmental epoch in which we now live requires our complete effort to alter its course before it is too late. "Terra's" canopy is a stunning 130-meter-wide structure covered in 1,055 solar panels.
The structure, dubbed "Contact" due to its resemblance to the massive radio frequency receiver from the popular film of the same name, is an example of sustainable design that aims for net zero water and energy use.
"Look like it could have been from another planet" -- a common impression of visitors upon experiencing the Sustainability Pavilion which is the largest pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai The characteristic stainless-steel fins that wrap around the Mobility Pavilion "Alif" clearly reflect the style of the hyper-futuristic architectural firm "Foster + Partners" who designed it.
Alif is home to a large exhibition that traces the evolution of "mobility" in Arab culture from the development of mathematics and astrology to the modern world of metaverse, in which the physical and digital may merge. AGi Architects created the Opportunity Pavilion "Mission Possible," which embraces the "plaza" and its global relevance as a space for people to meet across generations, language, and culture, as well as to celebrate our shared human experiences.
The hyper- futuristic facade of Mobility Pavilion, home to extensive narratives about mobility from past to present and the future As at previous Expos, countries often commission their top architects to design their national pavilions. Even the largest of these structures are referred to as "pavilions" – a relic of the first Expos. A few pavilions were dreamed up by world-renowned architects, such as Santiago Calatrava, who designed both the largest standalone pavilion for the host UAE and the smallest for Qatar.
The decision as to how these spaces are used is left up to the individual countries. While most pavilions focus on exhibitions, many devote the majority of their area to business meetings, product showcases, and performances. There are a few pavilions that embrace the experimental, such as those from the Netherlands and Singapore, which function as "experimental typologies" for future urbanism. Known as the "Biotope," the Netherlands' pavilion is a complete ecosystem that uses solar power to harvest water from the air and energy to produce plant-based food.
Like an artificial oasis, the Biotope shows us a glimpse into the future of living in critical climatic conditions. Designed by the renowned WOHA, Singapore's "City in Nature" Pavilion represents an effort to create a net-zero building architecture packed with plants and fans powered by clean energy. The most successful pavilions, however, are those whose architectural designs fit the exhibition and vice versa, rather than those with the most visually spectacular architecture.
The exterior of the UK Pavilion, designed by Es Devlin Studio, is among the most photographed pavilions; yet, the exhibitions it houses leave little impression, because the building's focus is entirely on its facade, leaving everything else comparatively sterile and deserted. Although interesting architecture has always been one of the Expos' centerpieces, most attendees are not architects and are thus more interested in other features such as exhibitions, events, and performances.
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