OPPORTUNITY PAVILION
THEME: Mission Possible
SIZE: 12,000 sqm
CLIENT: Expo 2020 Dubai LLC
DESIGN: AGI Architects, Icaria Atelier
FABRICATION: ASGC, ALEC Fitout, Eversendai Engineering LLC
ADDITIONAL FIRMS: Flexbrick, Serge Ferrari, EConstruct, CH2M Mace
PHOTOS: Estudio Jesús Granada, Icaria Atelier, Expo 2020 Dubai
One of the three subthemes of Expo 2020 (alongside Mobility and Sustainability), opportunity examines how we can unlock the potential of individuals and communities, highlighting that each of us has a role to play in creating positive change.
Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion encapsulates the concept of opportunity and the idea that any action we take can create an impact — that anything is possible with a small step. The pavilion is a public space that allows every visitor from every corner of the planet and every walk of life to connect across ages, languages, and cultures, working together to achieve meaningful, positive change for our planet and its people.
The pavilion was conceived as a large plaza, providing continuity to the Opportunity District in which it is situated. The design builds on the rich urban history of the plaza throughout millennia, from Roman times to the modern day. The concept of a plaza is universal and lends itself to multiple cultures, whether it is a piazza, saha, common, or town square. This universal urban language is important, because the pavilion aims to be a platform for social and cross-cultural engagement.
Floating 105 feet above the ground, the pavilion’s canopy represents clouds and the dreams that we all aspire to achieve. The clouds are ethereal, composed of six textile layers of fabric on metal structures, protecting the plaza from direct sun exposure. The clouds are in constant transformation thanks to the ways in which people view them and the changes in light and color at various times of the day.
A terracotta “carpet” covers the ground and the pavilion’s facades, creating a backdrop that places emphasis on the pavilion’s public spaces and how humans interact within it. It is on this carpet, representing the Earth, where human activity takes place. The space is designed to be appropriated by visitors to share experiences and generate a community of knowledge and mutual respect. To bridge the terrain’s slope, the pavilion’s plaza is organized on two levels, creating a basin where visitors are metaphorically spaced between the clouds above and the Earth below.
