Gulf Construction Online - First Expo 2020 buildings emerge above ground level

UAE Focus

First Expo 2020 buildings emerge above ground level

01 December 2017

Expo 2020 Dubai’s pavilions for some participant countries have reached above-ground level, a key milestone in construction on the 4.38-sq-km site in Dubai.

Images released by Expo 2020 organisers show the impressive pace of progress on these pavilions in the event’s three theme districts – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. These buildings are the first structures to reach above-ground level. Construction across the site is on track, said Expo 2020 Dubai.

Some of the pavilions at Expo 2020 will be built by countries themselves while the organiser is constructing others to be rented.

Work on the districts began in March after Dubai-based Al Futtaim Carillion was awarded a Dh2.2-billion ($600 million) contract.

Ahmed Al Khatib, vice president of Real Estate and Delivery at Expo 2020 Dubai said: “The first superstructure to emerge in the theme districts marks a key milestone in our journey to Expo 2020. It is an exciting period because these are areas of the Expo site that will be experienced and enjoyed by millions of people from around the world. We are making great progress in the construction and marking this milestone already means we are right on schedule.”

Expo 2020’s theme districts will contain a total of 136 pavilions for countries, NGOs and commercial partners, while dozens of other ‘self-built’ country pavilions will be erected outside the theme districts.

Pavilions will house a wide range of exhibits and experiences to entertain, educate and empower the millions of people expected to visit the Expo. Every building in the theme districts will meet at the least the prestigious Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standard for sustainability.

During Expo 2020, the completed basements will become an underground rail and road network, supporting logistics to ensure pavilions, shops, restaurants and cafes are restocked and cleaned throughout the day without disrupting the experience of the visitors.

The pace of development across the Expo site is accelerating now that the main construction phase is under way. At least 17 km of logistics roads have been constructed – using recycled concrete – to allow equipment and materials to access the site. Infrastructure work is also well advanced, with three Dewa substations near completion.

Twelve tower cranes are already operating at the Expo site, with a further 10 to be erected in the coming months. Each week, 6,100 cu m of concrete is poured onto the site.

All heavy construction at the Expo site will be completed by October 2019, a full year before the Expo 2020 opens in October 2020.

Al Khatib added: “The pace of work on the site is accelerating. We already have 17 different projects under way and more will be coming on stream in the next few months, particularly from April 2018, when participant nations begin to take over their plots and start constructing their pavilions.”

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. It opens on October 20, 2020 and runs for six months. Through its theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo will be a platform to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration globally.