Rainforest Canopy Malaysia Pavilion @ Expo 2020 Dubai

PROJECT AT A GLANCE

Classification: Exhibition Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Approx. Commencement Date: January 2020 Approx. Completion Date: 3Q 2021

Artist impression.

RAINFOREST CANOPY

Malaysia Pavilion @ Expo 2020 Dubai

The Expo 2020 Dubai is the first world expo to be held in Middle East, Africa and South Asia region. Organised by the Bureau International Des Expositions every five years and lasts for six months, the world expo is created as a global destination for millions of people to share ideas, showcase innovation, encourage collaboration and celebrate human ingenuity.

Through the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, Expo 2020 Dubai aims to provide a platform to foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration globally. It is based on the belief that sharing innovative ideas and building partnerships will inspire the way we shape our future in the most positive way possible. The main site of the Expo will be a 438ha area located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and is expected to attract more than 190 participating countries and organisations, and millions of visitors. After nearly a year of delay due to COVID-19 outbreak, Expo 2020 Dubai is scheduled to run from 1 October 2021 – 31 March 2022.

Malaysia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai was announced with the unveiling of the Rainforest Canopy, Malaysia Pavilion designed by Hijjas Architects and Planners. Situated within the Sustainability District, the Malaysia Pavilion sets to bring together a diverse group of businesses from over 10 different industry verticals spread across six clusters.

DESIGN COMPOSITION

The main theme of the Malaysia Pavilion is “Energising Sustainability”, which captures the country’s commitment to balance socio-economic progress with environmental protection. As such, the Pavilion, which spans 1,234sqm, is divided into four dedicated zones with sub-themes: ENERGISING TODAY, ENERGISING TOMORROW, ENERGISING BUSINESS, and ENERGISING HARMONY. CREDIT LIST

LEAD MINISTRY: Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Centre ARCHITECT: Hijjas Architects and Planners ARCHITECT OF RECORD: Design Integrated (DIAEC Dubai) CONCEPT SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT: Atelier Ten (Asia) Pte Ltd MEP CONSULTANT: LEC M&E Consult Sdn Bhd (Design Detail), and Crown Home Engineering Consultants (Dubai) CONTRACTORS: PICO (Malaysia), and RAQ Electromechanical LLC (Dubai)

The architectural intent is to ‘touch the ground’ as lightly as possible. For that purpose, the exhibition halls are housed in three separate levels, suspended on very long slender legs, hovering four to six metres above the ground. The three organic forms will touch the earth at as few points as possible, and are intended to invoke to the tropical jungle with allegorical treecolumns reaching up for the sunlight, trying to be taller than their neighbours so that their food generating foliage escapes the darkness under the forest canopy.

To make the building appear as if floating above the forest of columns, the ground level is enveloped by a series of structural and non-structural slim columns that are positioned and oriented in order to efficiently hold the structure above without the need to increase structural sizes. Horizontal structures holding the slabs will consist of steel beams that sit under timber planks; the canopy ceiling would freely hang from these beams in order to obtain the undulating profile.

The façade is made of certified sustainable meranti wood; the use of concrete is kept to a minimum during construction, mainly relying on steel so that the building material can be recycled after dismantling of the pavilion.

The “ramp” is another interesting design feature of the Malaysia Pavilion. The ramp excitation gives the experience of walking on a suspension bridge, which fulfilled all the structural approvals and compliance while still being able to give visitors the feel of the suspended bridge.

The auditorium, business centre, café and facilities are housed in the basement, carved four metres into the sands and siltstones on the site. The sunken gardens in the basement will allow sunlight and natural ventilation into the basement box. In terms of massing, the basement box is the heavy massing solid object base, nestled into the soil. From this heavy mass, the tall and slender tree-columns will rise up above ground.

The Pavilion has two floors, each offering a variety of experience unique to Malaysia.

➢ The First Floor – The Black Room Concept

Canopy 1: Malaysian Rainforest

Upon entering, visitors will be greeted by the immersive experience of Malaysian rainforest, which is the extension of the architectural experience that was designed from the beginning. Visitors will have the opportunity to go through a journey involving all senses, giving the closest experience of being in a rainforest, and learn more about the biodiversity of

Malaysia.

Canopy 2: Sustainable Agricommodities

The next exhibit will showcase Malaysia’s sustainable agricommodities. Here, visitors will bring back a wealth of knowledge on Malaysia’s aspirations, and how this sector eradicates poverty for many smallholders as well as the technologies that drive and innovate this sector.

Canopy 3 & 5: Malaysia 2030

The journey will venture into Malaysia’s future directions that are focused on Science, Technology and Innovation that will drive the sustainable development of the country. The room will be surrounded with LED columns with mirror, creating a unique infinity reflection.

Canopy 4: Re-energising the future

Net Zero Carbon will be the key message in this signature canopy. It tells the story of the national petroleum company Petronas and its ambitious transitional plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in its operation by 2050. This is the largest canopy with a high ceiling, where a large LED Cube will be hung from the ceiling to the floor bursting with mesmerising visuals.

➢ The Second Floor – The White Room Concept

Canopy 6: Smart City

From the black room to a white room concept, this change of environment provides a different experience for visitors.

The exhibition will put a spotlight on Malaysia’s sustainable lifestyle and technology, and the country’s aspiration in joining the ranks of smart cities of the region.

Canopy 7: Smart Network

The final canopy will showcase Malaysia’s green and future technologies optimising on the use of 5G technology in the country. Visitors will be able to enjoy the specially crafted content on a feature wall.

AMPHITHEATRE

The Pavilion will also have its own amphitheatre, with daily cultural shows, craft demonstrations, special screenings and events.

CAFÉ AND RETAIL

To complete the experience at the Malaysia Pavilion, there will be a café to promote Malaysian cuisines to the world, and a retail kiosk packed with crafts and souvenirs for visitors to take home.

NET ZERO CARBON PAVILION

Being the first net zero carbon fixture at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Malaysia Pavilion will have the distinctive opportunity to link its sustainability feature to the implementation of sustainability practices under the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) system adopted back home in the Malaysia forests. This action aims to ensure Malaysia’s participation at the world expo does not leave behind any carbon footprint, and to inspire others as well to take sustainable actions because a small step can have a big and consequential impact on our future.

The roof of the Malaysia Pavilion will be installed with 40 pieces of 100m2 photovoltaic (PV) panels; total PV array outputs during the expo period are at 12,000 kWh. The solar energy feature contributes to 10% of the Pavilion’s energy requirement. Other energy-efficient elements include LED lightings, heli fans, natural lighting, self-shading, green landscaping with vertical gardens and water harvesting features.

For Expo 2020 Dubai, Malaysia Pavilion’s #MyButterflyEffect Brand Campaign is a holistic concept to encourage and inspire people to empower themselves towards new thinking, new actions and new outcomes for sustainable development. It is premised on the belief that a small positive change can result in impactful desirable outcomes. To give flight to the campaign, several activities will be organised at the Pavilion to encourage visitors to make small adjustments towards a more socially conscious and sustainable lifestyle, showing them how each change can collectively contribute to a much bigger result.

Artist impression.