graft presents proposal for german pavilion at expo 2020 dubai

graft has revealed its shortlisted proposal for the german pavilion, planned for expo 2020 in dubai. with a keen focus on sustainability, the design promotes free movement via a network of exhibition junctions, which act as a decentralized, non-hierarchical network. as part of the proposal, present and future trends will be thematized on six platforms and will be connected by an interactive, participative exhibition concept.

all images courtesy of graft

graft has designed the structure so that the exhibition is visible from each part of the pavilion. visitors move through the subject areas and create a flow and exchange of information, which is visualized by the architecture and the transparency of the structure. ‘one spacious, central room in the heart of the pavilion forms the emotional antithesis to the rational knowledge resource,’ explains the design team. ‘in this variable space, which connects itself with the rational, factual knowledge resource through the element of the ‘interface’, the design creates its moment of tension.’

importantly, all of the pavilion’s components and materials are easy to dismantle because of their construction and combination principles. meanwhile, a separation into individual-material groups allows for optimal recycling. with the future in mind, the structure can even be rearranged in completely different configurations to fulfill the changing requirements of the exhibition spaces. expo 202 dubai will take place from october 20, 2020 until april 10, 2021.

project info:

name: german pavilion EXPO dubai 2020
location: dubai, united arab emirates
project: design of the german pavilion for the EXPO 2020 in dubai
client: kölnmesse GmbH
competition: 2018, finalist
size: 7,400 sqm

architect: graft gesellschaft von architekten mbh
founding partners: lars krückeberg, wolfram putz, thomas willemeit
project lead: marvin bratke
project team: alexander liu cheng, andrei dan musetescu, klemens sitzmann, laurent thill, marta piaseczynska, moritz hanshans, raluca ana maria constantin, vlad zangor