95% of the construction work has been completed on its pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai, New Zealand has announced. A spokesperson said that the final touches, including the façade feature, are being added and that the security, MEP, doors, windows, floors, walls and interior painting work has been completed.
The country pavilion is due for completion in mid-2021, said the statement.
The New Zealand team at Expo 2020 marked the milestone with a ceremony to recognise the contribution of the Rimond Middle East, the main contractor and its construction team, which has put in 260,995 work hours on the site.
“We’re so excited that our vision for Expo 2020 Dubai will soon be a reality. We are grateful to our construction partner Rimond Middle East and its team for getting us to this point. With the pavilion now 95% complete, we are one step closer to creating an incredible experience where we will share our story of New Zealand’s Care for People and Place,” explained Clayton Kimpton, New Zealand’s commissioner-general to Expo 2020 Dubai.
Giuseppe Chiarandà CEO and founder of Rimond Middle East said it had been a very memorable experience for the Rimond team to work on the construction of the New Zealand Pavilion. The contractor completed the shell and core of the pavilion at the end of 2019.
Chiarandà added, “We were very impressed with the attention given to worker welfare by the New Zealand team: the Commissioner-General and all the New Zealand team visited the site many times, and donated gifts to our workers and staff as recognition for their work. All these gifts came from New Zealand, like kiwifruit and sweets, so that everyone could know more about the country which they were working with. I think this is the power of Expo, spreading the culture and values of a nation.”
The New Zealand Pavilion was designed by Jasmax architects and is located in the Sustainability District of Expo 2020. The building was said to be designed to increase efficiency through its construction methodology and use of sustainable materials, including Abodo New Zealand eco-timber, which will be a striking aspect of the pavilion’s restaurant and hosting venues, Kimpton remarked.
The pavilion’s façade will be a highlight feature of the structure. Made from Kaynemaile, a lightweight, New Zealand-made material that is 100% recyclable and includes recycled materials in its composition.
The pavilion’s visitor experience embodies New Zealand’s culture, values and ingenuity through the theme of Care for People and Place, Kimpton noted. Inspired by the indigenous Māori environmental ethos of kaitiakitanga, visitors to the pavilion will learn about the inextricable connection and responsibility between people and the environment.