Special report: Expo 2020 Dubai and its pavilions
Expo 2020 Dubai will run from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021 under the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". At a press conference held this morning at the Ministry, Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Ministère de la Transition Écologique et Solidaire, unveiled the French Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai, designed by architect Jean-Luc Pérez of Atelier du Prado.
See also:
- French Pavilion for Expo Dubai 2020 by Atelier du Prado
- Finalist proposal for the French Pavilion by Clément Blanchet Architecture and AREP
- Finalist proposal for the French Pavilion by Franklin Azzi
In the press pack, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, commented: "For France, Expo 2020 will be an opportunity to put forward a bold and positive vision of tomorrow's world. The French Pavilion will show how digital technology can offer everyone new models of mobility and foster the development of cities and regions that are attractive to their inhabitants".
Brune Poirson, who joined the press conference after the presentation of the project, added: "Spectacular in what it offers and responsible in its aspirations, our pavilion will be a platform for political, intellectual, economic and cultural exchange".
The World Expo tradition
World Expos are an unmissable, global event. They are not only great architecture exhibitions; they also allow each nation to set out its view of the world and showcase its innovations and its companies, with a political touch.
However, the age of the monumental is now over. In 1889, France built the Eiffel Tower; the tradition of recent decades, by contrast, has come down to buildings on which a large part of the budget is spent on the façade, which visitors admire while queuing and forget a few years later.
Even so, this global event remains an opportunity to unveil major innovations, among them the Paris Métro in 1900 and the first escalator, filmed by the Lumière brothers.
Expo 2020 Dubai
As with every World Expo, a theme provides the architectural common thread for the pavilions. For this Dubai edition, the theme is "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future ". It has been broken down into three sub-themes: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. Dubai, today the world's second-ranking venue for trade fairs and business exhibitions after Paris, expects 25 million visits during Expo Dubai 2020, 20% of them from industry professionals. 80% of the structures built for the Expo will be reused to create a district of 100,000 inhabitants.
For this Expo, Dubai has pulled off the feat of bringing together 190 nations and organisations, something not matched for a century and a half. For the first time, then, almost every country in the world will showcase its culture and know-how.
The Opportunity Pavilion by BIG
The Danish practice BIG has been commissioned to design the Opportunity Pavilion, a building founded on three pillars that makes use of the full envelope permitted. Discover the project in detail.
France chooses mobility
The 190 pavilions of Expo Dubai 2020 are spread across the three petals of the masterplan. France stands on the Mobility petal, facing Norman Foster's Mobility Pavilion. Erik Linquier, Commissioner General of the French Pavilion and president of Cofrex, commented: "It is with this vision in mind that France, through its Pavilion, has chosen mobility as its theme. To support transitions, whether technological, ecological or economic, the mobility of people, goods, territories, ideas and information is a fundamental issue! With this in mind, the French Pavilion will explore new forms of mobility serving the common good. Our country has major players in these fields, along with a pool of promising young companies that position it in many cutting-edge sectors. This event should therefore also be seen as a catalyst for business and a genuine platform for international development".
The Expo's main pavilion designed by Norman Foster
A pavilion has been designed for each sub-theme. The Mobility Pavilion, beside which France will build its pavilion designed by Atelier du Prado, was conceived by British architect Norman Foster. The Opportunity Pavilion is by BIG and the Sustainability Pavilion by Grimshaw.
The World Expo, a political issue for France
One can always criticise the idea of holding a World Expo in the middle of the desert, with the consequences and energy needs that this entails. Challenged on this point by a journalist, Brune Poirson replied: "We are not doing this for pleasure". She went on to explain that the Expo, like President Emmanuel Macron's trip to Africa, had two aims: the first is to "preserve forests", the second is "to stop Africa going down the carbon route".
Expo Dubai 2020 should allow France to defend its vision of new forms of mobility that are more respectful of the planet and serve citizens. The organiser of the French Pavilion explains that "France intends to make the mobility of people, goods, territories, ideas and information a fundamental issue in addressing the challenges of transition, whether technological, ecological or economic".
The winning French Pavilion for Dubai 2020
The French Pavilion will be designed by the architects of Atelier du Prado. It offers a large animated surface, visible from outside, which shelters visitors from the sun. Discover the project in detail here.
The finalist proposal by Clément Blanchet Architecture and AREP
Clément Blanchet Architecture, in association with Etienne Trecot of AREP, proposed a building with a mineral exterior split by a large planted fissure. At night, this stone façade reveals the richness of French culture through an innovative lighting system. Discover the architectural proposal in detail.
The finalist proposal by Franklin Azzi Architecture
The proposal by Franklin Azzi Architecture draws on a local material, sand, which it showcases and uses to partition the space. Find it here very soon.