Last panel is mounted on UAE Pavilion

The 903rd glass reinforced concrete, GRC, panel was dropped into place on the UAE Pavilion at EXPO 2015 yesterday, just in time for the building to welcome dignitaries from the UAE, Italy and the World on 1st May. It was a moment shared by technicians, contractors and management teams who had successfully met the daunting challenge of constructing, in record time, the most complex EXPO Pavilion that the UAE has ever built, and among the most technically demanding of any of the pavilions at EXPO 2015.

It is a story that began two years ago when several key decisions established the guidelines for the UAE's extraordinary participation at EXPO Milano 2015. First of all, the UAE Government, represented by the UAE's National Media Council, made clear to the project's architects, Foster and Partners, led by Sir Norman Foster, that the building must derive its influences from the heart of the UAE and must be designed to articulate the country's own story, as revealed by a rich assemblage of innovative media. So often, exhibitions are designed to fit the spaces created by architects; this time, the building design had to meet the demands of the visitor-led exhibition experience. The result was a parallel process of both the building and exhibition being designed in tandem – informing each other. This demanded intense coordination and cooperation between teams that were more used to working within more clearly defined boundaries than they encountered on the UAE Pavilion project.

The second decision, which was pivotal in terms of the form and structure of the pavilion, was that it would be a ‘temporary' construction of a ‘permanent' building – one built to last for decades that would first show its colours in Milan for six months and then be moved, lock, stock and barrel, back to the UAE. This demanded complex calculations on design and building materials that would meet the criteria of the vastly different environments of Milan and Abu Dhabi.

In terms of milestones for this five-year Design, Build, Dismantle, Ship, and Rebuild Project, the placement of the 903rd GRC panel was an emotional moment for all concerned. Originally scheduled to have taken place two months earlier, it came, like so much of EXPO work, down to the wire with days to clean up and make finishing touches before the opening.

The 12-metre high sinuous rippled walls, surrounding and lining the intriguing structure, are so vividly reminiscent of the high sand dunes of the Rub al Khali desert and establish an emotional connection between curious visitors and the pavilion – presenting questions that may only be answered by closer engagement. It is exactly the response that planners hoped for when putting it all on paper in the early stages. Visitors are drawn in by the seemingly magnetic attraction of the funnel-shaped entrance to the winding ‘ramp', enveloped by soaring walls – neither dunes nor narrow traditional streets – but suggestive of both. On their way up the ramp, accompanied by Italian staff and Emirati ‘Ambassadors', a series of intriguing mysterious media cubes convey the basic story of the pavilion under the title, ‘Food for Thought'.

Firstly, visitors are presented with the challenges that the country faces, and next, inspiringly, the solutions that it is implementing to meet these challenges. It is here also that visitors from around the world are reminded that, thanks to climate change, the challenges faced today by the UAE, such as shortage of water, high temperatures and paucity of agricultural land, may well be the issues that affect their own countries in the near future. This is not something that one country can solve in isolation. The UAE is keen to learn from others and is equally keen to share its knowledge and experiences, helping to build a better world; free from hunger.

At the top of the ramp, visitors gather for a few moments before entering the Palm Theatre, housed within a gold clad circular drum. It is here, within an immersive environment, that the emotional story of the UAE is played out in 'Family Tree', a thought provoking, dramatic tale that stars a young Emirati actress in the leading role of Sara.

Sara continues to present the story in Future Talk, a unique piece of digital theatre that has been crafted by the Pavilion Team in order to reinforce the messages of the UAE Pavilion. The show flows seamlessly from 'Family Tree', but utilises a different set of media wizardry.

After visitors have seen the main theme presentation at the UAE Pavilion, they may visit the DUBAI 2020 presentation, Future Business UAE, and The Secret Life of Date Palms, a cultural and creative exhibition on the date palm.
Source: WAM