German Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai | LAVA - Laboratory for Visionary Architecture

LAVA’s design for the German Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai is a vertical campus of nature and technology, taking cues from the local architecture and Germany’s history of outstanding lightweight pavilion design. 

Demonstrating the Expo theme, everything from intelligent use of local climatic conditions to materials reuse to construction is sustainable. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy, Koelnmesse GmbH is responsible for the organisation and operation of the Pavilion, with Consortium German Pavilion EXPO 2020 Dubai facts and fiction GmbH and ADUNIC AG (concept design, planning and implementation) and LAVA (architecture/spatial concepts).

CONCEPT
The airy construction is an efficiently stacked volume of space. A visually striking freeform roof encloses a spacious volume and an intelligent ensemble of interlinked floating cubes housing exhibition and event spaces. The contrast of enclosed air space and immersive exhibition experiences generates an exciting exchange between interior and exterior spaces. The open structure is formed from abstract elements and surprising materials, a composition of repetition and differentiation. The concept continues German innovation in Expo pavilion design by using new ways of forming space – from Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona 1929 to Frei Otto’s Montreal 1967 to Fritz Bornemann’s spherical concert hall Osaka 1970. It also responds to the local climate and references the local courtyard house with closed exterior facade and rooms oriented towards an inner airspace.

ROOF
An opaque trapezoidal single-layer ETFE membrane creates a large volume of space with a minimal enveloping surface and highly efficient material. The metallic skin lets light rays into the interior through many small openings, similar to sunlight penetrating forest foliage, creating a continuously changing visitor experience. Mirror surfaces reflect direct sunlight against the roof skin, a dynamic interplay of light. At night, a field of LED lights integrated in the ceiling make the building radiate from within. Supported by vertical steel cables, the cloudscape roof keeps out the heat and controls light and temperature in the atrium. It reduces production energy, optimises resources by weight savings and creates the technical conditions for a pleasant visitor experience.

ATRIUM
A central atrium, a green, open space, connects all visitor areas and allows many surprising perspectives. The composition of exhibition spaces, event area and restaurants are interwoven through these manifold visual relationships. The pavilion tour brings visitors continuously onto the terraces of the open atrium, providing an overview of their location within the pavilion, the variety of topics and social interaction with other visitors. Native German plants hang from the terraces and roof creating comfort in the atrium and special light.

LAYOUT
The vertical campus courses between a landscaped layer on the lower two levels and the cloud roof. The rear east is a vertical backbone with technical facilities and service functions, and the front western side houses exhibition and restaurant spaces layered horizontally. The sequence of stacked seemingly floating building elements is a journey through the campus learning experience – from enrolment to learning curriculum to graduation. The ‘laboratories’, purposedesigned for exhibition, performance and dining, are grouped around the atrium.

SUSTAINABILITY
The design continues LAVA’s philosophy of sustainability at multiple levels, a strong visual symbol and example for visitors, by:
1. Material-optimised construction based on nature’s geometries.
2. Passive energy saving measures applied at the very outset in the design – for example the stacked building elements not only trap vertical airspace, but also minimise direct sunlight creating a sheltered atrium with minimal solar input and optimised climate.
3. Intelligent arrangement creates different spatial situations, not through complex technology, but rather through digitised production processes.
4. Minimisation of grey energy and operational energy. 
5. Graduated climatic zones of individual areas allow reduced energy use, whilst supporting the diversified room experience for visitors.
6. Reuse of building parts and materials - using algorithms to reduce waste
7. Barrier-free access.

NAME OF PROJECT - German Pavilion EXPO 2020
MINISTRY - Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)
MANAGEMENT - Koelnmesse GmbH
LOCATION - Dubai, UAE
CLIENT - ARGE facts and fiction with ADUNIC
STATUS - Expo 2020
SIZE - 4,500m2; building height 27 m

PRACTICE CREDITS
LAVA: Tobias Wallisser, Alexander Rieck, Chris Bosse
Project Team: Christian Tschersich (project director), Christina Ciardullo, Courtney Jones, Maria Pachi, Jed Finanne, Wassef Dabboussi, Benjamin Riess, Niklas Knap, Joanna Rzewuska

PARTNERS:
Concept design, planning and implementation - facts and fiction GmbH/ADUNIC AG
Structural engineers - Schlaich Bergermann Partner
Climate - Transsolar
Reuse - Certain Measures
MEP - energytec
Fire - Steinlehner
Light - Kardorff Ingenieure

IMAGE CREDITS: (c) facts and fiction | adunic | LAVA

FACTS AND FICTION
Cologne-based agency facts and fiction specialises in spatial communication and is responsible for content, exhibition and media design. facts and fiction designed the Monaco and Kazakhstan pavilions in Milan in 2015 as well as the German presence at EXPO 2012 in the Korean city of Yeosu. 
http://www.factsfiction.de/

ADUNIC
Swiss construction company ADUNIC, building the pavilion, are specialists in the construction of temporary buildings and built a number of pavilions in Milan in 2015. http://www.adunic.com/en.html