IN ASSOCIATION WITH : ASSAR Architects, Brussels

TYPE : Awarded Public Tender

COMMISSIONER : BelExpo, Belgian Commission General for International Exhibitions

BELGIAN CONTRACTORS : BESIX & Vanhout

SCENOGRAPHER : Krafthaus, Cologne - Dubai

PROGRAM : Belgian Pavilion

LOCATION : World Expo 2020 Dubai, Plot C.77

DELIVERY : October 2021

VCA’S TEAM : Jiao Yang, Guillaume Brunet, Vincent Callebaut

The Belgian Pavilion finally unveiled !

Text by BelExpo, Belgian Commission General for International Exhibitions

During the next World Expo in Dubai in 2020, Belgium will show the world its technological progress to connect minds and create the future. The pavilion, a green ark spanning several levels, is a real jewel of architecture and engineering.

The public tender has just been awarded for the design, construction, scenography, maintenance and decommission. It was won by the BEMOB-2020 group. It includes the Belgian contractors BESIX and Vanhout, the design firms ASSAR ARCHITECTS and VINCENT CALLEBAUT ARCHITECTURES and the scenographers of Krafthaus. It will showcase the techniques, applications, products and materials, which are Belgian or of Belgian origin on both the interior and the exterior of the pavilion.

This building/garden will not just be green on the outside. The preservation of the environment is at the heart of its design and of our concerns, with natural light and ventilation, renewable energies and the smart use of water.

The pavilion will have an exhibition trail, shops selling Belgian souvenirs, places to taste our culinary specialities (including fries, of course) and a business centre, as well as a gastronomic brasserie with a terrace. These are all excellent opportunities for our economic players to show themselves to the world. There is definitely a certain cachet involved in organising a reception in the Belgian pavilion or selling products at our different points of sale, for example.

The pavilion, in the heart of the mobility district, will present our latest technological innovations for bringing people, goods and ideas together. The exhibition premises will offer all kinds of interactive discoveries in the Belgium of the future.

The pavilion is already popular with the business world before it even sees the light of day (the structural work is due to be completed by the end of the year). Many businesses are co-financing it or are contributing to its construction. Contributions by other persons and companies, from SME’s to multinationals, are still welcome!