Daring designs, Bold Creations: the first-revealed Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions

With 600 days until Expo 2020 Dubai, more than 20 countries have unveiled the design of their pavilions.

Here’s an overview of what has already been announced, offering a preview of how each country will interpret the theme of Expo 2020: “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” as well as the three subthemes: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.

Austria’s pavilion, spanning 2,400m2 in the Opportunity District, is based around the motto “In Dialogue with Austria”. Designed by Querkraft, the iconic pavilion will allow visitors to wander between light and shade thanks to its assortment of truncated cones.

Bahrain will participate in Expo 2020 with an eye-catching pavilion featuring 187 angular columns. Focused on density, the 24-metre high pavilion will be located in the Expo’s Opportunity District.

The pavilion of Belarus, occupying 1,200m2 in the Opportunity District, will be dedicated to the ‘Forest of Future Technology’. Designed to resemble a self-sufficient living organism, the pavilion will notably feature illuminated green shoots at its entrance.

Belgium’s five-floor pavilion, dubbed “Green Ark”, will be a showcase for ‘smart building’. Located in the Mobility District, it has been specially designed by Assar and Vincent Callebaut so that it can be easily dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere.

Brazil’s Expo 2020 pavilion pays tribute to the country’s numerous waterways, with a lightweight fabric enclosing a large central square covered in water. Designed by JPG.ARQ, MMBB amd Ben-Avid, the 4,000m2 immersive pavilion themed "Together for Diversity" will be located in the Sustainability District.

With the theme “Czech Spring”, the Czech Republic will participate in Expo 2020 with a 2,200m2 pavilion in the Sustainability District. Designed by Formoso AA, the pavilion will be built with a low carbon footprint and will showcase technology to create water out of the air through solar energy.

Finland’s pavilion takes inspiration from both Finnish and Arab styles, resembling a Bedouin tent while also evoking the snow that covers the country in winter. Themed "Sharing Innovative Competences” and located in the Mobility District, the JKMM-designed pavilion will have a wooden interior reflecting the country’s unique history of innovation.

Spanning 4,500m2, Germany’s LAVA and facts and fiction-designed pavilion, will be located in the Sustainability District and will be composed of a freeform roof supported by steel cables and a closed exterior façade with an interior atrium. With the theme “Campus Germany”, the pavilion will take visitors on an educational experience using an innovative intelligence assistance system.

The pavilion of Japan, themed “The Crosspoint of the Future. Join. Sync. Act.”, is inspired by Arabic and Japanese patterns, making the most of the manipulations of angles, lights and shadows. Designed by Arup and located in the Opportunity District, the pavilion of the World Expo 2025 host country will showcase the country’s social, cultural and economic initiatives.

Luxembourg’s pavilion will be located in the Opportunity District, and will reflect the country’s past, present and future. Themed “Resourceful Luxembourg”, the unique design by METAFORM is inspired by a Mobius strip, with constantly changing proportions evoking the landscape of Luxembourg city.

Monaco’s pavilion, themed “MONACO 360º, a world of opportunities”, will offer visitors a content-loaded exhibition uncovering the multi-faceted opportunities the country has to offer. Located in the Opportunity District, the pavilion's design by Olivier Deverini (AODA) and OOS is inspired by the Rock of Monaco.

The emblematic pavilion of the Netherlands is based around a large biotope, drawing attention to the global challenge of water, food and energy scarcity. With the theme “Uniting Water, Energy & Food”, the pavilion – designed by V8 Architects - will be located in the Sustainability District.

New Zealand’s Expo 2020 pavilion, designed by Jasmax and spanning 2,000m2, is inspired by the Maori tradition of waka taonga - carved containers that are used to keep precious items safe. Themed “Care for People and Place”, the spiral-shaped structure will be located in the Expo’s Opportunity District.

The pavilion of Norway, located in the Opportunity District, will be centred around the theme “Norway as a world-leading ocean nation”. Designed by Rintala Eggertsson Architects, Expomobilia and FiveCurrents, the immersive pavilion will highlight the country’s instrinsic connection with the ocean.

Oman’s pavilion will offer visitors an immersive journey into the rich history of frankincense as a bridge between civilisations over the years. Designed by Adi Architecture and located in the Mobility District, the pavilion, inspired by the Boswellia sacra tree, is themed “Oman - Opportunities Over Time”.

The pavilion of Poland will cleverly combine wooden boxes, steel rods and paper birds to provide a dazzling illusion of migrating birds, echoing its location within the Mobility District. Spanning 2,030m2, the WXCA-designed pavilion will be an example of Polish “foldable” architecture, being able to be transported elsewhere after the event.

The pavilion of the Republic of Korea, located in the Mobility District, will feature stereoscopic rotating cubes over five floors. Designed by MYK (Kim dongkyu, Moon Hoon, Yun Seongbong), it is themed “Smart Korea: Moving the World to You.”

Spain’s pavilion is composed of a large square covered by temperature-regulating conical volumes made of different materials. Themed “People and Places” and located on a 6,000m2 plot in the Sustainability District, the pavilion is designed by Amman-Cánovas-Maruri.

Themed "Co-Creation for Innovation”, Sweden’s pavilion will be located in the Sustainability District. Designed by Alessandro Ripellino Architects, Studio Adrien Gardère and Luigi Pardo Architetti, the enchanting pavilion will feature clusters of tree trunks, fusing Nordic woodland with Islamic geometric design.

The pavilion of Switzerland will invite visitors to go on a hike through the Swiss landscape and to discover the country’s traditions and innovations. Named “Belles Vues” and located in the Opportunity District, the OOS-designed pavilion will make a bold architectural statement, inspired by the structure of Bedouin tents.

Thailand’s pavilion at Expo 2020 is themed “Mobility for the Future”, and will be located in the Mobility District. Showcasing the country’s innovation-based development, the design of the 3,606m2 pavilion is inspired by the iconic Thai welcome flower garland.

Ukraine’s pavilion, located in the Opportunity District, will address the challenges of modern life by showcasing solutions in three different zones: smart life, smart thinking, and smart feeling. With the theme “Smart Ukraine: Connecting Dots”, the nature-inspired pavilion will showcase the country’s innovation and culture.

The pavilion of the host country, the United Arab Emirates, will be one of the largest structures on the Expo site, occupying 15,000m2 and addressing all three of the Expo’s subthemes. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the pavilion is inspired by the shape of a falcon in flight, linking itself to the country’s historic ties to falconry and symbolising the forging of connections across the world.

The United Kingdom will participate in Expo 2020 Dubai with the “Poem Pavilion”, which will use artificial intelligence and visitor contributions to generate poems to be “messaged to space”. Designed by Es Devlin, the 20-metre high cone-shared pavilion will be located in the Opportunity District.

Themed “What Moves You? The Spirit of Mobility”, the pavilion of the United States will be located in the Mobility District. Designed by Curtis W. Fentress, the pavilion will project a sensation of motion for visitors, who will be able to learn about American innovations through an immersive interactive experience.

Stay tuned on Twitter & Facebook for updates on pavilion designs as they are announced!

More information on country pavilions at the next World Expo can be found on the official website of Expo 2020 Dubai.