Pavilion of Finland at Expo2020 90% completed

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

The Lumi (Snow Cape) Pavilion of Finland at the re-scheduled Expo2020 Dubai from Oct. 1, 2021 is already 90 per cent complete. Commissioner General of Finland at Expo2020 Dubai Severi Keinala said on Monday: “Our decision to postpone the final construction elements of our pavilion was made to ensure the final aesthetic elements are as fresh as possible for the Oct. 2021 opening. In particular, the exterior membrane of the pavilion will be added closer to the opening date, as this white surface is what will bring our Snow Cape to life.”

The pavilion which will demonstrate to the world the snowy environment of the Nordic country is situated at the Mobility District of the 438-hectare Expo2020 Dubai venue located south of the emirate.

Speaking in behalf of the Swiss company, Expomobilia, chosen for the Finnish project, chief customer officer Dietmar Kautschitz said: “Preparing the structure for a period of hibernation and changing weather conditions has meant pausing the execution of the intricate details of the pavilion’s design and finish.”

The remaining 10 per cent construction eyed to begin in Apr. 2021 include the interior fit-out works such as the “aluminium outer wall of the entrance, the exterior membrane, the granite-decorated lakes located at the entrance and the signage,” said Kaustschitz.

The final wood coating of the finished “substrate of the gorge,” the pavilion centerpiece, shall be installed closer to the Expo2020 Dubai opening date.

There are approximately over 100 Finnish companies-a number of which are over a centuries-old-participating at the first world exposition to be held in the Middle East, whose general theme is “Connecting Minds, Connecting the Future.”