Dubai: Starting from Friday, UAE residents and tourists can visit Expo 2020 Dubai’s ‘Terra — The Sustainability Pavilion’ for Dh25 per ticket, it was announced on Saturday during a media preview of the attraction.
Terra, which means Planet Earth in Latin, is one of the ‘Thematic Pavilions’ that will open to the public until April 10 ahead of the full opening of Expo 2020 Dubai in October.
Alif — The Mobility Pavilion and Mission Possible — The Opportunity Pavilion will open to the public in the first quarter of this year, in around three months, officials said during a press conference at Terra on Saturday.
The Pavilions Premiere is a limited-time opportunity for visitors to preview Expo 2020’s Thematic Pavilions and will provide a glimpse of what is to come when Expo 2020 Dubai — the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region — welcomes the world from October 1, 2021 to March 31 2022.
Planning your visit
Pavilions Premiere bookings can be made starting today [Saturday] at https://expo2020dubai.com/en/pavilions-premiere, with each visit costing Dh25. Visitors are urged to book early as the experience will operate with limited operating hours and capacity restrictions due to enhanced health and safety measures, such as masks, temperature checks and social distancing, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On weekdays (Tuesday to Thursday), visitors will be capped at 3,000 people between 3pm and 9pm and on weekends (Friday and Saturday) at 5,000 people between 4pm and 10pm, it was revealed during the press conference. To manage capacity and provide an optimal experience, all visitors are required to make a timed-entry reservation in advance online. Walk-in tickets will not be available. To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit https://expo2020dubai.com/en/pavilions-premiere.
Starting on a positive note
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General, Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, said: “We are delighted to start 2021 on such a positive note as we welcome the UAE community to be the first to experience Terra — The Sustainability Pavilion at a moment in our history that is unparalleled in terms of its impact on humanity.
“This period of rapid, unprecedented change has brought with it a pressing need to rethink the way we exist, and is further accelerated by a global health crisis that has touched each and every individual on Earth. While 2020 may be remembered as a year that changed us forever, it has also given us a tremendous opportunity to come together as a global society and find answers to our most pressing challenges.
“This remains the focal purpose of Expo 2020 Dubai and the vision of the UAE’s leadership, while our Thematic Pavilions — Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability — rally the call for collective action to tackle these challenges in order to create a better future for all humanity.”
Visitors in January will be able to explore Terra, which with its surrounding grounds covers around 25,000 square feet, and enjoy the surrounding public spaces that include a children’s playground, gift shop, dining and more. Terra will offer an immersive journey through the wonders of the natural world, including an interactive walk through the roots of the forest, where every footstep affects the ‘wood-wide-web’. Uncovering the hidden harmful impacts of our choices, the emotive experience is designed to encourage visitors of all ages, and the younger generation in particular, to consider how their behaviour impacts the environment and break the cycle of consumerism, empowering them to become agents of change.
Staying sustainable
Terra will remain in legacy as a Science Centre that will inspire sustainable choices for generations to come, beyond the Expo 2020 Dubai. Energy of Terra is generated through the “highest specification” of photovoltaic panels available, 1,055 of which are arranged on a 130-metre-wide roof canopy and atop a series of Energy Trees in the landscape.
* Huge installations inspired by iconic fairground attractions that explain key sustainability issues and concepts, including a giant balance maze requiring visitors to collaborate to bring the Earth into balance
* An interactive walk through the roots of the forest, where every footstep affects the ‘wood-wide-web’, the amazing symbiotic network of roots and fungi that allow trees to communicate and share resources
* An exploration ‘under the ocean’ to discover the beauty and the mysteries contained within
* A journey through consumption halls, uncovering the hidden harmful impacts of our choices
* A meeting with ‘Gnasher’ — a giant consumption machine that shows how natural resources are being destroyed to make consumer products
* An encounter with a deep sea fish whose system is clogged with discarded plastic waste
* A series of ‘would you rather?’ scenarios to challenge visitors to consider how individual behaviours directly impact our planet
* The Laboratory of Future Values — a hopeful space that presents solutions to the challenges, issues and worries raised earlier in the experience
* A request for visitors to make an individual pledge that supports positive change. This could be as simple as cutting back on food waste or not using single-use plastic
Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Experience Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Expo 2020 aims to be one of the most sustainable World Expos in history and supports the UAE’s efforts as a champion of green development, so it is fitting that our first visitors will enjoy a preview of the Sustainability Pavilion — an interactive and personal experience that will highlight the urgency of addressing some of the world’s greatest environmental challenges.
“Showcasing the opportunities that unite us and how we can work together to create positive change, Expo 2020 will empower visitors of all nationalities, ages and interests to make more sustainable choices in their own lives.”
The pavilion, designed by Grimshaw Architects, “sets an example” for sustainable building design. Built to be net-zero for both energy and water, it features 1,055 photovoltaic panels arranged on a 130-metre-wide roof canopy and atop a series of ‘Energy Trees’. The pavilion also uses cutting-edge water-reduction strategies, water recycling and alternative water sources.
