Thailand breaks ground for Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion

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 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 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; and Waravuth Pouapinya, Ambassador of Thailand to the UAE.

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.

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 pavilion will be located in Expo 2020’s Mobility District, with a large plot size of 3,606 square metres. To align with the sustainable focus of Expo 2020 and to reduce its environmental impact, the construction and design of the 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. Also, 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 aluminium used for the structural works.

WAM