The Kingdom of Thailand has broken ground for its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, becoming the first South East Asian country to begin the construction of its pavilion. The ceremony, held on the Thailand Pavilion plot at the Expo 2020 site, officially marks the beginning of construction of the pavilion that will feature contemplative design and construction practices aimed at reducing its environmental impact.
The ground-breaking ceremony took place in the presence of Ms. Ajarin Pattanapanchai, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the Commissioner General of Section for Thailand Pavilion; Dr. Nattapon Nimmanphatcharin, President and CEO of the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa); and H.E. Waravuth Pouapinya, Ambassador of the Royal Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Commissioner General of Section for Thailand Pavilion Ms. Ajarin Pattanapanchai, said: “We are proud to participate in the first mega-event to be held in the Middle East, with the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. Thailand welcomes all participants and visitors of Expo 2020 with great warmth and goodwill to achieve global goals. Construction of the Thailand Pavilion will be divided into three phases including shell and core building, interior works and external works. Construction of the pavilion will include an approximate 250,000 man-hours of work, with the pavilion expected to be completed and operational-ready by September 2020.”
The Thailand pavilion will be located in Expo 2020’s Mobility District, with a large plot size of 3,606 square meters. To align with the sustainable focus of Expo 2020 and to reduce its environmental impact, the construction and design of the Thailand Pavilion has been carefully planned to use a minimal amount of power and energy. Specially-designed features and solar orientation will maximise the natural shading of the pavilion that will be built using world-class software that applies the value engineering methodology with sustainable materials.
Contemplative Design
Like a flower in the middle of the desert, the Thailand Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has more to offer than just its unique look. The exterior and interior of the pavilion are designed to ensure the building uses less energy and stays cool. To help reduce the heat transmitting to the building, the pavilion has been designed with two layers.
The first layer, the pavilion’s delicate woven flower façade, will not only help protect it from the scorching sun, but will also glow beautifully with different colours to draw the attention of Expo 2020 visitors.
The second layer is covered with heat insulation designed to reduce the temperature of the pavilion. It has been designed in an arc shape that will shade the Gathering Plaza area, where most visitors will be, from the sun as it moves across the sky. The interior exhibition area has also been designed to ensure it is not fully exposed to the sun.
Environmentally Friendly Construction
Reducing environmental impact will also be a focus throughout the construction of the Thailand pavilion, which will use recyclable materials in its construction. Instead of exporting materials from Thailand to Dubai, all materials will be locally sourced to help reduce the pavilion’s carbon footprint, with recycled concrete, steel and aluminum used for the structural works.
The Thailand Pavilion, which is managed by Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency; the operating arm of Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), will be organised and run by Index Creative Village PCL., a creative business leader in Thailand. The organisation has experience in managing large turnkey projects and has managed Thailand Pavilions at World Expos for over a decade.
At Expo 2020, the Thailand Pavilion will represent the country through its ‘Mobility for the Future’ theme. Innovation-based development and visionary planning of transportation, logistics, digital connectivity and personal mobility will be combined with ‘Thai DNA’, that connects people globally through its hospitality, thoughtfulness and smiles of the Thai people. The Thailand pavilion is expecting to welcome 1.7 million visitors during the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai.
About the Thailand Pavilion:
The design of the Thailand Pavilion integrates the allure of Thai hospitality into every element to impress the audience at first glance, using a Thai flower called the ‘Dok Rak’ (Crown flower) that represents warm greetings from Thai people and ongoing development. The flowers are also a representation of endless mobility from its proliferation and dispersal of pollen.
As the inspiration for the design of the Pavilion’s architecture, the ‘Dok Rak’ flowers will be interwoven around the pavilion like floral curtains. Moreover, the gable roof, a distinguishing feature of Thai architecture, is applied to the entrance of the pavilion to express the delicacy and the beautiful Thai greeting, or ‘Wai’. Such remarkable uniqueness will make the Thailand Pavilion memorable during the day and night.
The traditional flower garland or the “Puang Malai” was selected as the symbol of the Thailand Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to represent the friendship and welcome that guests have come to expect from Thai people. The flowers will be fine-tuned and digitally arranged into lines to demonstrate the limitless digital connection that links ideas from a number of sources. Gold is used as a dominant colour to depict the abundance of the Suvarnnabhumi region and our rich history, while four bouquets represent Thailand 4.0. The theme also reflects Thailand’s stepping into the innovation-driven, digital age toward stability, wealth, and sustainability.
