DREAMERS WHO DO

United Emirates Pavilion

As the beating heart of Expo 2020, the UAE Host Pavilion needed to create a powerful, emotional connection between guests and the Emirati identity. The challenge was to tell the story of the UAE’s transformation in a way that transcended language barriers and engaged a diverse global audience, all while honoring the country’s deep-rooted traditions and forward-thinking vision.

Location: Dubai (UAE)
Client: National Projects Office (UAE)
Year: 2021
Service: Spatial design, graphic design, creative guardianship

Desert of dreams

Together with Tellart we designed the Desert of Dreams as a scenographic journey where we tell the story of the UAE. It’s a sensory journey through the UAE’s incredible 50-year transformation from a nomadic lifestyle to the present. With the use of powerful visual metaphors and different kinds of media such as film, photography, animation and soundscape we incite strong feelings with visitors, that nurtures a sense of community that will continue throughout the guests’ journey. Here we use deliberate pairing of sand and glass as a mechanism for telling the story of this transformation.

beginning desert of dreams — Guests begin their journey surrounded by sand dunes.

complete glass — By the end, guests walk through grid-like glass structures to reference the UAE's rapid urbanisation.

beginning glass shards — The sand slowly turns into glass.

pearl dome theater — The Pearl’s dome surrounds visitors with image and sound, creating an immersive film experience that lifts them emotionally and physically. The tribune moves up an entire floor as the experience takes place.

14,500m2of space
100'sof collaborators
24mlnin-person visits
250mlnvirtual visits

The Falcon Pavilion

Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 stands as a powerful architectural statement, embodying the nation’s ambition and identity. Taking inspiration from a falcon in flight, a symbol deeply rooted in Emirati heritage, the structure appears to soar from the heart of the Expo site. Its bold, dynamic form reflects the UAE’s pioneering spirit and its role as a connector of cultures and ideas. With a surface area of 15,000 m², the pavilion blends innovation and tradition.

A raft of multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary artists delivered an experience that is just as uniquely diverse and welcoming as the country it celebrates.

Visitor of the exhibition

Outside totem — The pavilion's Falaj is a modern interpretation of the traditional irrigation system.

Dome where light streams in. — In the pavilion's final space, daylight pours into the building's monumental dome.

Dreaming Together

This was one of our most complex and ambitious projects to date, involving an unusually large and diverse team of collaborators, including content consultants, artists, sound designers, and technical experts. The end credits resembled those of a full-length feature film, reflecting the scale of the process.

picture where of the part where the different generations are shown — This extensive collaboration resulted in a journey where architecture and content work synchronously.

We were working under intense time pressure, in a foreign country, and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. These circumstances added layers of logistical and emotional complexity, turning the project into a true testament to creative resilience and the power of collaboration.

Femke Bijlsma