In photos: Expo 2020 Dubai reveals two new attractions: Garden in the Sky and Water Feature

UAE unveiled two new attractions on September 5: The Garden in the Sky and the Expo 2020 Water Feature. Both are located close to the heart of the site, Al Wasl Plaza. Here’s what the new elements are bringing to the world fair that kicks off in October.

Garden in the Sky is an observational deck at a height of 55 metres that offers a 360-degree view of the Expo. The rotating tower has two interlinked cabins that ascend and descend; visitors can enter the lower cabin from the basement and the upper cabin from the ground.

The tower is located in the Jubilee Park, home to a selection of food outlets, art installations, the Jubilee Stage and the round Water Feature. The tower’s upper floor, which can be accessed through a staircase from the lower floor, is decorated with 10 yellow flame trees. These trees can adapt well to the UAE’s climate and are a common sight in Dubai’s parks and streetscapes.

The deck has been designed by the renowned London-based architect Asif Khan, who is also behind the three grand entry portals of Expo that are constructed with an ultra-lightweight carbon fibre composite and Expo's public realm. Khan’s work spans across the fields of architecture, industrial and furniture design.

Next up, the Water Feature. Placed right in between the iconic Al Wasl Plaza and Jubilee Park, the Expo 2020 Water Feature combines the elements of water, earth and fire. Visitors will be welcomed by a lush green garden with palm trees rising above a series of curved paths that surround the feature. At its centre is a blazing circle of fire that produces flames of red, green and yellow. These huge flames burn with pure hydrogen, and hence, produce no carbon.

The 153 individual waves put on a dramatic show of gushing sheets and bursts of water leaping from the walls and finally descending to the plaza below. By night, the waves produce a gravity-defying spectacle as they begin to flow up the walls. You can walk to the base of the waterfall to see how the water disappears from the stone of the curved walls that reach up to 13 metres in height.

The water jets out rhythmically at the cue of music, creating an orchestral masterpiece performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The set is written by the award-winning composer Ramin Djawadi; he composed the theme music for the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’.

The water feature was created by California-based architecture, design, manufacturing and engineering firm called WET Design. They use supercomputers and other pioneering technology to build some of the most famous fountains and water features including the dancing fountain at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. WET’s choreographers and composer Djawadi worked together to create unity between the music and the visual water experience. International landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm SWA Group designed the remaining architectural features and the surrounding landscape.