Shading structure to generate half of Expo’s energy needs

A yes vote on November 27 would see plans for the Expo 2020 move from the drawing board to creation, including its iconic roof structure that will generate half the power needed to run the event.

“A major arrival experience would be created by the shading structure and it will also generate power for the community in the long term,” said Christopher Scott, Director of Investment and Development Management at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

The shading structure, which would be made of vertebrae photovoltaic fabric, would provide 50 per cent of the energy requirements needed to operate the site’s pavilions, which will be organised like a traditional souk.

Calculations

“We have worked out how much power we require in relation to the efficiency of the solar panel energy, so we figured out exactly how many square metres we would need to fulfil our target,” said Scott.

“The shading structure would not only provide visitor comfort, but would become one of the iconic images of the Expo, stretching over the entire site and also used as a backdrop for projections for general entertainment.”

Lasting six months, the Expo would open on October 20, 2020, kick-starting the UAE’s golden jubilee celebration. For a world expo bid to succeed, the bidding country must include elements in its master plan that have a relevance to the bidding country.

Dubai came up with “Connecting Minds Creating the Future” as the main theme and three sub-themes, mobility, opportunity and sustainability.

“Expos are heading into the direction of sustainability in terms of reuse of buildings, getting the maximum benefit with a minimum impact on the environment,” Scott explained at last month’s Cityscape Global Conference, citing as an example the UAE’s pavilions at Expo 2010 in Shanghai that are now used on Saadiyat Island.

Legacy

Although most of the Dubai Expo pavilions, which would occupy 150ha of the 438-ha Dubai Trade Centre site in Dubai World Central, would be temporary, some of the structures would form the base of DWTC’s new exhibition and trade centre district. “Once the Dubai Expo is over, we will complete the rest of the development of that plot,” Scott said.

The Dubai Expo would leave a legacy to build on, including the Expo Centre with the main Al Wasl plaza, the retail outlets and the shading structure and the main entrance of the new exhibition centre with a metro station.