Malaysia breaks ground at Expo site for ‘net zero-carbon’ pavilion

Sajjad Ahmad, Gulf Today

Malaysia led by Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment, and Climate Change (MESTECC) has kicked off construction of its ‘Rainforest Canopy’ Pavilion during a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, to begin construction within the 4.38km2 World Expo site’s Sustainability District. The construction is expected to complete in July 2020.

On 10 October 2019, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad revealed that construction of “Malaysia’s Net Zero Carbon Pavilion”, an initiative to offset the carbon from the Malaysia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, is an important and conscious step towards ensuring that building the structure will be sustainable in the long term. The offsetting actions will be done in Malaysia through tree planting initiatives which will also ensure that the nation will reforest more land areas, apart from the current programmes being conducted by various national agencies, including the ASEAN Framework for Climate Change agenda.

Malaysia’s current forest cover is at 55.3 per cent, or 18.3 million hectares of its total land area, exceeding Malaysia’s initial commitment to the Rio Earth Summit, which was 50%.

“Malaysia aims to attract Dhs2.5 billion in potential trade and investments, capturing 1,000 business leads with 20 memorandums of understanding or partnership agreements signed in our six-month long participation at Expo 2020 Dubai. Malaysia  Pavilion provides excellent opportunities for world business communities and calls for business partnerships with our 200 organisations/businesses ranging from Sustainable Agriculture and Agricommodity to energy, STI, environment and climate change, culture, tourism and youth, e-commerce and ICT, trade and 4IR, women and community development,” said Dr Mohd Nor Azman Hassan, Deputy Commissioner-General for Malaysia in Expo 2020 Dubai, who is also Deputy Secretary General, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTECC).

He said, “Expo 2020 will be a platform to consolidate the relations between the two countries. The UAE is currently the largest trading partner of Malaysia in the GCC and the trade between the countries was $5.8b in 2017. In 2019, from January to August the total value of bilateral trade reached $3.69 billion. Malaysia sees Expo 2020 as a big opportunity to further boost the trade and investment relations.”

As a symbol of sustainability, Malaysia’s Deputy Commissioner General, Dr Mohd Nor Azman Hassan, presented on behalf of the Commissioner General, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Azhar Hj. Yahaya, a Rajah Brooke Butterfly frame to Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Director General, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau. Rajah Brooke, a species of Malaysia’s butterfly unique to Borneo is used in #MyButterflyEffect Campaign, resonating from Malaysia’s participation in Expo Astana 2017 to Expo 2020 Dubai to encourage and empower Malaysia in inspiring a sustainable world for all.

The Rainforest Canopy Pavilion, detailing Malaysia’s theme “Energising Sustainability”, spans 1,234.05 square metres, comprising four segments - Energising Today, Energising Tomorrow, Energising Harmony and Energising Business.  While ‘Energising Today’ focuses on how agri-commodities have shaped the socio-economic development of the country; ‘Energising Tomorrow’, showcases Malaysia’s commitment to becoming a high-income nation, while reducing carbon emissions. In addition, ‘Energising Harmony’ encapsulates how Malaysians of diverse cultures, traditions and races are working together towards the nation’s progress; and ‘Energising Business’ portrays the role of the private sector, state-owned enterprises and government initiatives in promoting sustainable development across all industries.

Designed by Hijjas Architects + Planners, a Kuala Lumpur-based and award-winning firm, ‘The Rainforest Canopy’ was inspired by Malaysia’s oldest rainforests which include its prehistoric rainforest Taman Negara, in Pahang. Estimated to be over 130 million years old, Taman Negara is Malaysia’s premier national park and one of the world’s oldest rainforests.

Set to be a sustainable architecture, Malaysia’s ‘The Rainforest Canopy’ Pavilion will use energy efficiency features including heli-fans to enhance airflow, self-shading and green landscaping with vertical gardens, solar panels and water harvesting. The Pavilion itself will consume 20% less energy throughout the 6 months of operations. Materials used in building the structure will also be reused, once the pavilion is dismantled.

Construction contractor firm from Malaysia, Qube Integrated Sdn Bhd and local partner, RAQ Contracting will be working together to build the pavilion for the Malaysia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The company was awarded a contract in October 2019 to co-develop the site infrastructure which will focus on sustainable design and is set to welcome visitors on October 20, 2020.

Malaysian Ambassador to the UAE, His Excellency Ambassador Mohd Tarid Bin Sufian added: “Expo 2020 Dubai, themed ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, the first World Expo ever held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, is an excellent opportunity for us to connect and share ideas with more than 190 participating countries and millions of visitors from across the globe.”

Tuan Syed Ahmad Syed Mustafa, Acting CEO/COO of GreenTech Malaysia concludes: “Malaysia’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai is an important avenue for GreenTech Malaysia to take the lead in expanding our role in innovation and sustainability across all sectors through strategic initiatives at international platforms.”

The upcoming Visit Malaysia 2020 will be held with renewed vigour and passion. Visit Malaysia 2020 year brings out the best of what Malaysia has to offer to the world in a single, event – packed year. The year 2020 is special to all Malaysians as we reflect and celebrate all our successes and challenges in transforming into a thriving multicultural and dynamic country.