Next year in October, the much-anticipated Dubai Expo 2020 will open its doors to the world. What has been described as the largest event ever staged in the Arab region, this six-month expo by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to welcome millions of visitors from across the globe and will host 190 participating countries, one of them being Saudi Arabia.
This week, the Kingdom revealed the spectacular design of its huge pavilion: a rectangular, reflective structure titled at an angle, reported to be second in size only to that of the UAE pavilion, and covering an area the size of two football pitches (approximately 13,070 square meters). According to various reports and the expo’s Twitter page, the pavilion has been designed to provide immersive experiences for visitors and aims to highlight the country’s welcoming character, culture, and openness, to the world.
As reported by SPA, Muhammad AlTuwaijri, who is Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for the Kingdom’s participation in the upcoming expo, explained that the unique and innovative design of the pavilion reflects the country’s “determination to create a spirit that strives to achieve the aspirations of its people and the prosperity of the country.”
“This extraordinary and innovative design perfectly captures the determination of the kingdom to fulfil its promise of being an ambitious nation, while conveying a message of dynamism and partnership with the world […] All Saudis can be proud of the vision that this ground-breaking pavilion will deliver to the world, and we look forward to inviting global citizens to share in the exciting story of our thriving and vibrant society,” he was quoted as saying in a recent article in The National.
According to ME Construction News, the pavilion was designed by Boris Micka Associates, a Seville-based firm known for its expertise in museum and exhibition design. As described by Khaleej Times, the “facade opens like a large window into the future, soaring into the sky and reflecting a society deeply rooted in its culture with unlimited ambitions.”
