Expo 2020 Dubai: the Azerbaijan Pavilion is inspired by nature

A is huge enveloping structure in the shape of a tree

The Symmetrical studio conceived and designed a large tree-shaped structure, supported by a transparent leaf that envelops the entire building. At the foot of the tree there are the roots , inside the which develops an underground space, and the Agora, a place accessible from the outside, conceived as a small secret garden. 

Rubner Holzbau's contribution

For the construction of the Pavilion, Symmetrical made use of the collaboration of Rubner Holzbau. Part of the Rubner Group, the brand dedicated to the construction of large wooden constructions lamellar with innovative or particularly sophisticated characteristics, has contributed, specifically, in the design, prefabrication and assembly of the three structures that make up the pavilion:

• the tree and its elements, which develop from the bottom up, recalling the roots, trunk and branches.
• The stage and the wall of the Agora, where events take place during Expo.
• the pedestrian walkway which, suspended above the Agora, constitutes the access to the Pavilion.

The challenge: to design a tree in the same material it is made of in nature

“The development of forms as conceived in architectural design has been a challenge for our technical department from the beginning” underlines Savvas Lithiropoulos, Project Manager of Rubner Holzbau. “The idea of recreating a tree in glulam is almost a paradox: designing the shape of a main element of nature in the same material was a stimulating undertaking. We also faced a challenge from a construction point of view, in fact the individual decorative elements interact closely with the underlying steel structure”.

What the tree is made of

The tree, excluding the elements that recall the roots and the trunk, is composed of three types of curved beams which were defined during the design phase fins or fins: satisfying the radius of curvature of the branches and guaranteeing the best aesthetic result were some of the objectives of this work. 15 mm slats were used to compose the elements; every single element has been designed, calculated and produced to meet the design requirements, to be transportable from the Brixen site to the Dubai Expo site inside a container and to be assembled with precision. This structure is made up of a total of 141 arches with a glued minimum radius of curvature of up to 3 m.

What the other structures are made of

The wall of the Agora behind the stage is made up of decorative elements called Louvers that give the impression of movement; the pedestrian walkway is adorned in the lower part by more than 210 semicircular elements with a radius of about 1.3 m, which make up the "ribs" of the walkway; 44 curved lateral support beams are connected to the steel structure and extend over 2 m; the structure is completed by the 6 central elements with a maximum length of about 7.60 m.

The Azerbaijan Pavilion in numbers

Quantity and volumes:

• about 190 cubic meters of laminated fir wood;
• about 20 cubic meters of 22 mm Nordpan 3s panel.

Extending over 2,086 square meters divided into:

• approximately 500 square meters of covered area;
• about 200 square meters of the underground agora with stands and stage;
• over 1,400 m2 of gardens and pedestrian paths.