Architectural Record
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Architectural Record
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Awards
    • Interviews
    • Obituaries
    • Podcasts
      • Design:Ed Podcast
      • Sponsored Podcasts
  • OPINION
    • Book Reviews / Excerpts
    • Exhibition Reviews
    • Forum
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Videos
    • Design Vanguard
    • Top 300 Firms
    • Sponsored Content
    • Sponsored eBooks
    • From the Archives
  • CONTINUING ED
    • Editorial Continuing Ed
    • CE Center
    • CE Academies
  • PROJECTS
    • Buildings By Type
    • Reuse & Renovation
    • Museums & Arts Centers
    • Colleges & Universities
    • Multifamily Housing
    • Interiors
    • Lighting
    • Kitchen & Bath
  • HOUSES
    • Record Houses
    • House of the Month
    • Featured Houses
  • PRODUCTS
    • Products by Category
    • Record Products of the Year
    • Latest Products
  • EVENTS
    • Dates & Events
    • Record on the Road
    • Innovation Conference
    • Sustainability in Practice
    • Women In Architecture
    • Webinars
    • Ad Excellence Awards
    • AIA 2026 Videos
    • Submit an Event
  • CONNECT
    • Ask RECORD AI
    • Newsletters
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Store
    • Customer Service
  • SUBMIT
    • Submission Guidelines
    • RECORD Competitions
  • MAGAZINE
    • Subscribe
    • My Account
    • Digital Edition
    • Current Issue
    • Firm Pass
    • Historic Archive
Architecture News

Three Firms Commissioned to Design Dubai Expo Pavilions

The designs center on three themes: mobility, sustainability, and opportunity.

By Rebecca Seidel
Mobility: Foster & Partners

Mobility: Foster & Partners

Rendering courtesy Expo 2020 Dubai

Mobility: Foster & Partners

Mobility: Foster & Partners

Rendering courtesy Expo 2020 Dubai

Sustainability: Grimshaw Architects

Sustainability: Grimshaw Architects

Rendering courtesy Expo 2020 Dubai

Sustainability: Grimshaw Architects

Sustainability: Grimshaw Architects

Rendering courtesy Expo 2020 Dubai

Opportunity: Bjarke Ingels Group

Opportunity: Bjarke Ingels Group

Rendering courtesy Expo 2020 Dubai

Opportunity: Bjarke Ingels Group

Opportunity: Bjarke Ingels Group

Rendering courtesy Expo 2020 Dubai

Mobility: Foster & Partners
Mobility: Foster & Partners
Sustainability: Grimshaw Architects
Sustainability: Grimshaw Architects
Opportunity: Bjarke Ingels Group
Opportunity: Bjarke Ingels Group
March 16, 2016

Architects & Firms

Bjarke Ingels Group
Foster + Partners
Grimshaw

Foster + Partners, Grimshaw Architects, and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) will design a trio of pavilions for Expo 2020 in Dubai. The three firms beat ten competitors in a global competition whose results were announced on March 12. The slideshow above depicts renderings of the winning pavilions.

The designs match three core themes of the expo: mobility, sustainability, and opportunity. They will form the centerpiece of the Expo, which is scheduled to take place in the port town of Jebel Ali from October 2020 through April 2021. London-based Foster + Partners designed the Mobility pavilion, a trefoil-shaped building encased by a glowing plaza. Grimshaw Architects, also based in London, won the commission for the Sustainability Pavilion, a group of dish-shaped structures that will hold a more long-term role as a technology center. BIG, based in Denmark and New York, submitted the winning design for the Opportunity Pavilion, a building whose arched underside will feature a planted courtyard.

The Dubai Expo will be the first World Expo held in the Middle East.
 

Looking for quick answers on architecture and design topics?
Try Ask RECORD, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask RECORD →

KEYWORDS: Dubai World Expo

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Rebeccaseidel

Rebecca Seidel was an intern and editorial assistant for Architectural Record from 2015 to 2016.

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Subscription Center
  • Create an Account
  • Start a Subscription
  • Manage My Account
  • Sign Up for Newsletters
  • Visit Customer Service
  • Update Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Architectural Record audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Architectural Record or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • 3D configurator
    Sponsored byDoorBird

    How DoorBird’s 3D Configurator Is Redefining Customization Across Residential and Commercial Design

  • interior of modern office
    Sponsored byCurrent

    The Downlight's Second Life: Why Below-Ceiling Serviceability Is the Specification Detail That Matters Most

  • cold storage facility
    Sponsored byCarlisle SynTec Systems

    How Architects Can Design More Continuous Cold Storage Envelopes

DESIGN:ED Podcast
Listen to Architectural Record’s DESIGN:ED Podcast

Events

July 29, 2026

Adaptive Reuse Reimagined: Designing Multifamily Housing from Existing Buildings

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 1 IIBEC CEH

Examine adaptive reuse envelope strategies that improve energy performance, preserve architectural character, and transform existing buildings into high-performing multifamily housing.

July 30, 2026

Constructing Exterior Walls to Avoid Moisture Issues

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU

Examine exterior wall and air barrier system strategies that improve moisture control, energy efficiency, durability, and indoor environmental quality.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Architectural Detailing: Function, Constructibility, Aesthetics, 4th Edition

Architectural Detailing: Function, Constructibility, Aesthetics, 4th Edition

See More Products

Popular Stories

Goldring Woldenberg Park

Continuing Education: Postindustrial Waterfronts

House of the Month - Casa BL

In Chile, Alejandro Beals and Loreto Lyon Revive a 1960s House Designed by a Le Corbusier Disciple

Temple-Emanu-El, San Francisco

AIA California Announces 2026 Design Award Recipients

Herz Rec Center

A Recreation Center by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects Activates a Rebounding San Francisco Neighborhood

University of Victoria Indigenous Law Wing

Indigenous Law Shapes a Different Kind of Academic Building at the University of Victoria in British Columbia

Adaptive Reuse Reimagined: Designing Multifamily Housing from Existing Buildings - Free Webinar - July 29, 2026

Related Articles

  • Dubai Expo 2020 Walkway

    Dubai Expo’s Fantastical National Pavilions

    See More
  • Tadao Ando and Plan for MPavilion

    Tadao Ando Commissioned to Design MPavilion 10 in Melbourne

    See More
  • Dubai_Pavilion_Helene_Binet_archrecord_1170_ss_0.jpg

    Dubai’s World Expo, Lavish but Late

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • bim design firms.jpg

    BIM for Design Firms: Data Rich Architecture at Small and Medium Scales

  • 3dthinking.jpg

    3D Thinking in Design and Architecture: From Antiquity to the Future

  • movable arch.jpg

    Movable Architecture: A Design Guide to Container Reuse

See More Products
×

The latest news and information

#1 Source for Architectural Design, News and Products

SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Submit
    • Store
  • ACCOUNT CENTER
    • Create an Account
    • Start a Subscription
    • Manage My Account
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Visit Customer Service
    • Update Preferences
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • Linkedin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)

Copyright ©2026. All Rights Reserved BNP Media, Inc. and BNP Media II, LLC.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing