Dubai, United Arab Emirates
“Standing as a self-contained, prismatic volume, this distinctive landmark speaks of a solid, determined, trustworthy country. The beautifully crafted structure rises from the ground upwards, symbolizing a firmly grounded society with unlimited ambitions,” state the architects.
Boris Micka Associates (BMA) has completed the building and exhibition design of the Saudi Arabia Pavilion for EXPO 2020 in Dubai participating in the fascinating development of this project from the first sketches to the public opening.
The Pavilion fulfills all the main goals of an EXPO building: to be a unique symbol of the country it represents, recognizable and memorable by the visitors, and to offer an engaging exhibition experience.
For all of the above factors, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion at EXPO 2020 has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
LEED-platinum is certified for its sustainable design and operation; the Saudi Pavilion will remain a legacy building in the new post-EXPO district.
Universal EXPOs are extraordinary events where many countries share the most significant features of their culture, geography, society, and economies with a vast audience.
As a design team involved in many EXPOs before, BMA is aware that this type of exhibition generates an over-stimulating environment where every participant competes, calling for attention with impressive architecture.
The KSA Pavilion deliberately avoids sinuous and over-complicated forms, which can be difficult to apprehend by visitors. Standing as a self-contained, prismatic volume, this distinctive landmark speaks of a solid, determined, trustworthy country.
The simplicity of its lines and its construction quality represent a society that values the essence of beauty. The building is a recognizable statement for visitors, a point of attraction that sparks their interest in exploring further.
It reaches for the sky, its facade opening like a large window into the future, reflecting the present, and creating an open plaza that incites visitors to explore further.
This welcoming gesture opens the path that leads visitors through the various exhibition areas.
The Pavilion’s architecture promotes visitor encounters and collaborative interaction, while its exhibition design generates a social aspect, showing faces of the Saudi Kingdom that are widely unknown.
As an actual cultural embassy at EXPO, the Saudi Arabia Pavilion incarnates a country opening to the world and a diverse society, proud of its heritage while rapidly evolving towards a new and exciting future.
Throughout the visitor’s experience, traditional exhibition techniques are intertwined with state-of-the-art audiovisual installations to portray the country’s transformation.
A vast range of exhibition resources have been used to encompass the diversity of Saudi Arabia as the biggest country in the Middle East: a fully animated LED façade inclined over an interactive open plaza, large-scale curved screens to generate immersive environments, scenographic reproductions, state-of-the-art digital interactives, videos shot in 22 natural locations covering 11.000 km, among other features.
The combination of traditional and contemporary exhibition techniques results in a mesmerizing visitor experience.
Project: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavillion at EXPO 2020
Architects: Boris Micka Associates General
Scenographers: Boris Micka Associates
Contractor: ALEC
Engineering and Contracting LLC.
Client: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (ARAMCO)
Photographers: Boris Micka Associates and SAUDI ARAMCO
