Construction work has begun on Finland’s Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai, which is scheduled to launch on October 20, 2020, a senior Finnish official has confirmed.
In a statement, Severi Keinälä, commissioner-general Finland at Dubai Expo 2020, said that construction work was launched on 26 August, 2019 and that the pavilion will resemble a snow-covered tent, taking its inspiration from Finnish nature, design and innovation.
“We are among the first countries to have started the construction work on their pavilions at the Expo 2020 site,” he remarked. “Finland’s Pavilion is inspired by the white blanket of snow that covers the Finnish landscape from autumn onwards.”
The pavilion will have a metal structure that will be built by Cimolai Middle East. It will be clad with sandwich panels. The tender for the construction of the Finland Pavilion at Expo 2020 was awarded to the international project team of Expomobilia (Switzerland), JKMM Architects (Finland), Factor Nova (Finland), Beyond Limits (UAE) and Five Currents (US).
JKMM Architects, with the help of Factor Nova and Five Currents, have put together the design concept for the building, while Expomobilia, as a global general contractor, has been tasked with looking after the overall planning and project management in the implementation process. Factor Nova, Beyond Limits and Five Currents all have an advisory and support role across all phases, from design to delivery.
The structure is expected to top out this year, the statement added.
Elaborating on the simple, elegant design that reflects Finnish architecture, Keinälä said that the Finnish pavilion would be a meeting space, a tent where connections between Finnish and Arab minds can be fostered.
“Externally, the shape is simple but refined. In the middle of the pavilion, a dynamic wooden space ‘the Gorge’, is carved into the building, offering Expo visitors a pleasantly cool and shaded retreat,” he said.
“The Gorge also relates to the unique Finnish history of innovation, which often involves thinking out of the box, an element of surprise. In the pavilion, the surprise is the wooden heart and exhibits inside.
“Finland is known for providing solutions,” the commissioner-general told media delegates during a recent press trip to the country, adding that the pavilion will showcase Finland’s innovative spirit, technology and focus on nature and sustainability, in accordance with the motto of the Expo 2020 Dubai: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.
Some 43 Finnish partners, representing 100 companies, are expected to showcase their products and services within the pavilion. Among them are Kone, Granlund Group, Nokia, Halton, Wärtsilä, Finnish Water Forum, Metso, Collaprime and iLOQ.