Dutch team to create temporary climate system in Dubai’s desert conditions

The Netherlands is set to deliver a pavilion that is more biotope than building at Dubai EXPO 2020.

The concept, imagined as a miniature world where the climate is naturally controlled, showcases the intrinsic inter-connections between water, energy and food using Dutch skills and methods of innovation.

Delivered by a consortium made up of V8 Architects, Expomobilia, Kossmann.dejong and Witteveen+Bos, the pavilion will treat visitors to a rich sensory experience of “silence, warmth, coolness, light, darkness, agriculture and water”. Here, new, natural ways of climate control wait to be discovered.

This circular climate environment, centred around a rising green tower, is expected to stand in contrast with Dubai’s dry desert climate—as well as the water scarcity, food insecurity and rising energy demand issues prevalent around the world.

Unlike the “civil engineering character” of the exterior, the interior of the pavilion will feature a “scintillating layer of light, tactility and refinement inspired by the typical rhythm of the Dutch landscape and geometric patterns and elements from the Arabic culture”.

Tying in with the closed-loop circularity concept being championed by the consortium, the entire pavilion will be constructed using locally sourced materials. This reduces transport needs, with the materials to either be returned or recycled at the end of the event to further minimise the project’s carbon footprint.

“The pavilion brings together all the necessary know-how and technology in the fields of pavilion construction, architecture, interactive visitor experiences, closed-loop technology and sustainable building,” V8 Architects say.

“In addition to its presentation of ‘the Netherlands’, the pavilion is also a meeting point for the business community, educational and research institutions, governments and social organizations.”

The 35th World Expo will take place in Dubai from October 2020 to April 2021. It is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, with 170 countries to present their ideas, innovations and technologies under the overarching theme of “connecting minds, creating the future”.

The World Fair is the third largest event in the world after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.