Dubai is well on its way to achieving its 2021 Agenda of the Dubai Executive Council goals, one highlight of which is creating a digital and circular economy for all. This objective will align with the upcoming massive event of Expo 2020 Dubai, which set to begin in October this year. Expo 2020 will feature several pavilions on-site that have been constructed using the circular economy model.
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How does the circular economy model work? This type of economy uses a combination of age-old strategies such as reduce, reuse, and recycle to eliminate waste. The idea is keep the disposables to a minimum. Here’s a look at some country pavilion’s shaped using this idea.
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The Luxembourg Pavilion's design was inspired by the Mobius ribbon, an infinite form, like the circular economy, and also symbolises openness and dynamism. Designed by architecture studio Metaform, the three-storey building shields visitors using a loopy canopy that is the floor, walls and ceiling all at once. ArcelorMittal sourced its raw material by melting 170 tonnes of recycled scraps in the Luxembourgish mills of Belval and Differdange. The fluid form of the facade is then held by steel pipes that form nearly 1,000 joints, with every single link bending at a different angle than the next. Once the Expo is over, this pavilion will become part of Dubai’s futuristic smart city, District 2020.
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The Netherlands Pavilion aims to reduce ecological footprint; its building materials will be re-purposed or recycled locally after the Expo ends. Even before the show wraps up however, this pavilion will be showcasing an innovative system of being; it’s a biotope, transforming into a mini, self-sufficient climate system that harvests its own water, energy and food naturally.
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When you visit be sure to see the ‘Forest of the Future’. This technologically advanced forest is an artificial ecosystem built from organic and recycled materials, where future-ready Spanish companies will present their sustainable solutions.
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The Italian pavilion’s architects are so against waste that they even used up coffee beans and orange peels instead of throwing them away; dried orange peels and ground coffee with a pinch of algae and a sprinkle of recycled plastic all come together to coat – and colour -walls and footbridges. Designers of the Italy pavilion envision a structure whose elements will be either turned into compost or recycled further post-event.
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The Belgium Pavilion will be a zero-waste building with a vertical garden of 10,000 plants that are capable of absorbing up to 35 tonnes of carbon dioxide and converting it into oxygen during the event run.
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The Austrian pavilion is all about reduce, reuse, recycle. The building is capable of saving 70 per cent of energy thanks to the traditional cooling system it employs. The white cones capture cool air at the ground level and allow warmer currents to escape from the top, a technology partly inspired by Arabian wind towers and Austria’s own climate engineering.
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The Sweden pavilion aims to build smart cities, develop innovative travel options, life sciences, all of which fall under a bio-circular economy.
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The Finland Pavilion aims to educate visitors about the impact of their choices towards the environment. Avoiding waste by recycling scarce resources is just some of the ways the Nordic nation is making strides in sustainability. Finland will offer further solutions with the expertise of being the first country to create a circular economy roadmap in the world.
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Designed by Oslo-based architecture company Rintala Eggertsson Architects, the pavilion is made out of glass panels and aluminum giving it a recyclable value of 80 per cent.
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