Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has created a pavilion informed by the shape of a falcon's wing for the UAE at the Dubai Expo 2020, which opens today.
Designed "as a symbol of the UAE's pioneering spirit", the host nation's pavilion stands near the centre of the expo site alongside the Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed central Al Wasl Plaza.
Santiago Calatrava designed the UAE Pavilion at Dubai Expo
"The UAE Pavilion was designed to embody the main theme of Expo 2020 Connecting Minds, Creating the Future and serve as a symbol of the UAE?s pioneering spirit," Calatrava's office told Dezeen.
"Located in the Opportunity District of Expo 2020 Dubai, every aspect of the pavilion is representative of the host country, from the building's architecture, which resembles a falcon, the UAE?s national bird, to the surrounding landscape." The roof opens up to allow light into the pavilion
The four-storey pavilion was informed "by a falcon in flight" and is topped by a series of metal "wings" that can be opened to allow light and air into the pavilion.
Each of the wings pivots around a single point and the entire roof can be opened in three minutes.
The wings are made from metal
"The conceptual framework was based on inspiration from the grace and force of a falcon, the UAE's national bird," said Calatrava's studio.
"By channelling the powers of mobility, synchronized flow, and technological innovation, the relatio...