Canadian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai Designed by Toronto-based practice Moriyama & Teshima Architects and construction company ElisDon, the Canadian Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai aims to bridge the two cultures by echoing Canada’s landscapes and incorporating Arabic architectural elements with its wooden lattice facade a reference to the traditional Mashrabiya. Accompanying the pavilion is the art installation Traces created by Montréal-based firm KANVA, which brings a poetic reflection on the uncertainty of the future of ecosystems to the exhibition grounds.
Courtesy of KANVA, via v2com newswire
The pavilion highlights Canada’s performances in sectors like technology, aerospace, artificial intelligence, but also education and tourism, acting as a platform for business and international connections. Architecture practice KANVA was commissioned to design an installation for the Plaza leading up to the pavilion that would reflect both Canada’s contribution to the Expo and this edition’s overarching themes. Continuing the landscape theme that informs the pavilion’s design, the installation reflects on habitat degradations through the “fossilization of an inhabited landscape”, raising awareness over the threats faces by ecosystems worldwide.
Courtesy of KANVA, via v2com newswire
The concept for TRACES began with the location of the Canada Pavilion in the sustainability section of the Expo grounds, and with the main exhibition being inspired by Canadian landscapes and natural diversity. We wanted to create something that would emphasize the threats that climate change and global warming pose to those same landscapes, and more specifically, to the species that inhabit them – Rami Bebawi, a KANVA partner and lead architect of the TRACES project.
Courtesy of KANVA, via v2com newswire
More Innovations at Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai started October 1st, 2020, and will last six months till the end of March 2022. The masterplan of the World Expo is created by HOK, and it features three Thematic Districts designed by Hopkins Architects that follow the three main themes of Expo 2020 Dubai; Sustainability, Opportunity, and Mobility, with an aim of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.
The long-awaited international event showcases architectural works designed by high-profile firms from around the world, including The Sustainability Pavilion by Grimshaw Architects, The UAE and Qatar Pavilions created by Santiago Calatrava, and the Monumental Gates of Expo 2020 Dubai designed by Asif Khan.
Much like the Spanish Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai features out-of-the-box ideas, including The UK Pavilion by Es Devlin that uses Artificial Intelligence to create poems and display them on the structure’s facade. You can check here Arch2O’s list of the 10 must-see pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Throughout the six months duration of the Expo, the Spanish Pavilion will host a total of 32 companies, more than 200 artists, and around 100 performances to showcase the Spanish culture in Dubai.
Project Info :
Architect: Moriyama & Teshima Architects
Photography : KANVA, via v2com newswire
Location : Expo 2020 , Dubai , UAE
