Finland Pavilion’s elevator offers a ‘lift’
Other attractions include carbon dioxide coffee and a generous serving of ‘happiness’
Happiness is the core message of the pavilion and we were inspired by the iconic landmarks around Finland.”
HSamppa Lappalainen | Architect
ave you ever stood beside a streaming river, with chirpy birds, a rustle of wind and serenity as your companions? Stand outside the Finland Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai for an experience that encompasses all of this, and more.
The façade of the Nordic pavilion looks like a secret — piquing a visitor’s curiosity to see what’s inside. However, it is the very simplicity of it which makes ‘Lumi’, meaning ‘snow’, which sets it apart.
Inaugurated by Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs, Finland; Severi Keinälä, Commissioner General of Finland at Expo 2020 Dubai and Marianne Nissilä, Finnish Ambassador to the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, the pavilion has opened its doors to welcome visitors.
Gulf News spoke to Samppa Lappalainen, CEO, and Gregor Turnsek of JKMM architects, the brains behind the pavilion, who weighed in on their
experience of combining the country and its vision for the future, all into one.
“We wanted to bring the first snow concept into the pavilion and give it a traditional Arabic tweak, especially since we wanted to embed our culture and significance into it. Happiness is the core message of the pavilion and we were inspired by the iconic landmarks around Finland,” said Lappalainen.
“The element of air and water especially was important to the pavilion, especially since our country is home to over 188,700 rivers,” said Turnsek.
Inspired by the traditional Arabic tent, the pavilion is centred around the theme of ‘sharing for future happiness’.
The pavilion also features an elevator, which changes shades based on the emotion a visitor is feeling. For instance, if you were to feel happy, the elevator turns pink and purple.
Curious about the carbon dioxide coffee? Well, the pavilion coverts carbon dioxide exhaled by visitors to power the coffee machine.
Upcoming events at the pavilion include Finland’s National Day celebrations on October 31 and a visit from Lapland’s Santa Claus in December.