TERRA – THE SUSTAINABILITY PAVILION

One of the top attractions of Expo 2020 Dubai is Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion, which embodies intelligent strategies for future living. Created by Grimshaw Global – an architectural design partnership with offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Dubai, Melbourne, and Sydney – this immemse sci-fi structure uses pioneering technologies to harvest energy from sunlight and fresh water from the air.

Surrounded by demonstration gardens, winding pathways, and shaded enclaves, the pavilion is like a self-contained micro-ecosystem. The underground portion uses the insulating properties of the earth to shield it from the desert heat, while the aboveground surfaces are clad with a gabion rainscreen wall – sourced with local stone from the Hajar Mountains

– which absorbs heat and reflects solar rays. Water efficiency, meanwhile, is maintained through a series of closed loop systems designed to filter, supply, and recycle water.

The outer canopy is covered in ultra-efficient monocrystalline photovoltaic cells embedded in glass panels, while the overall form of the canopy directs cooler air in and expels low-lying hot air through a “chimney” in the centre. The entire pavilion is further complemented by 19 ‘E-trees’, whose solar panels provide 28 percent of the energy required to power the building. And just like the sunflower turns to follow the sun, these “trees” rotate 180 degrees throughout the course of the day to maximise their energy intake.