Bahrain’s state-of-the-art pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 shows new symbiotic physical space and innovation relationship

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Amid the sprawling huge Dubai Expo 2020, the pavilion of Bahrain is mirroring the plethora of cultural expressions in the Kingdom and reflecting the symbiotic relationship between physical space and innovation stands out.

Located on Sunset Avenue in the Opportunity District and with a large serrated white and red flag firmly planted in front of it, the pavilion awes with its splendour, appeals with its aluminium-made exterior facade representing one of Bahrain’s main exports, and charms with its unique 24m-high rectangular shape.

It explores the theme of density as an enabler of opportunities through an immersive visitor experience.

Visitors enter it through a ramp that “is meant to be a point of transition between the outside world of the Expo and the inside world.”

The pavilion with its open exhibition space of 900m2 is conceived as a physical and spatial experience of density and the future possibilities of building in an increasingly dense world, the introduction to the pavilion says.

“Designed by Christian Kerez Zurich AG, it is imagined as an open plan space, submerged in the site and accessed through a ramp that creates a transition between the outer and inner worlds of the pavilion.”

Once inside, visitors used to columns and beams articulating architectural space horizontally and vertically closely following the boundaries, are marvelled by how the columns here are spread out in all directions.

“The structure of this central space is made of 126 columns of 11cm in diameter and 24m in height that join one another at several points throughout the height of the space.

“The columns support one another and support the roof, providing a poetic structure that demonstrates principles of connection and density in an exploration of the three-dimensional possibilities inspired by geometric gypsum ornaments of traditional Bahraini architecture.

“The visitor experiences the space as one would be walking through a dense forest where the exhibition and programme of the pavilion cohabit openly with the architecture of the space.

The columns are made of steel, whereas the outer facade is composed of aluminium, showcasing one of Bahrain’s largest exports.

At the end of the six months, the pavilion will be fully dismantled and rebuilt permanently in Bahrain.”

“This central space houses the main exhibition space, the gift shop and the cafe that are loosely nestled between the columns of the building, shaping the physical experience of density in the pavilion.

The pavilion, one of the 192 countries participating in the Dubai Expo 2020, regularly welcomes visitors from around the world who are driven by a strong sense of excitement and enthusiasm as they live a unique experience of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.”