Expo 2020 Dubai: Meet the man behind the gigantic gates

Dubai - They may look 'futuristic' but these entry portals are, in fact, from the past.

The surreal entry portals that welcome every visitor to Expo 2020 Dubai are larger than life — and yet, 99 per cent of this engineering marvel is made of air.

British architect Asif Khan — the brains behind the gigantic Expo gates — brilliantly merged the ancient mashrabiya design with an ultra-futuristic concept.

ALSO READ: Meet the 12-yr-old Indo-Belarusian girl who dazzled all at opening ceremony

The gates’ carbon-fibre strands are, in fact, as thin as paper at 10mm. And these filaments were meticulously woven in mashrabiya patterns, creating countless tiny spaces where air passes through across the gate.

“The is the largest mashrabiya ever built. This entry portal feels like it’s from the future but the fact is, it is from the past,” Khan told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview.

One gate is 21 metres high and 30 metres wide, but it weighs only 18 tonnes.

Khan stressed that such huge gates used to be built as cities’ entry portals in the early days. And since he wanted to add a futuristic touch, he aimed to create the thinnest, lightest and sturdiest gate while showcasing the tradition.

Three such gates are now making jaws drop — greeting every visitor who steps inside the world’s greatest show. They are also the last landmarks people would usually see.

ALSO READ:

Expo 2020 Dubai tickets: Prices, special offers, who can enter for free

Watch: Stunning timelapse video shows how Expo 2020 site rose from the desert

The mashrabiya filters the light and cools spaces and has long been a prominent pattern in the Arab household. “Mashrabiya is a cultural heritage of this region. [The Expo gates] show how it can be transformed in compatible with the future without diminishing its importance,” said the architect, whose brilliant designs have wowed the world. Among the structures he had conceptualised was the UK pavilion at the previous World Expo. He has been designing for the world fair for years now.

For Khan, with the completion of Expo 2020 Dubai’s gates, a mission was accomplished and all the hard work was worth it.

“It was a challenging task to bring this extraordinary spectacle to life,” he said.

Khan’s team worked with a number of experts for the project. “We pushed to the absolute limit of structural engineering and science. We approached F1 car engineers, as they deal with carbon fibre, to make it happen. But that did not suffice.

“We then had to work with engineers from the aeronautical industry that deals with carbon fibre components and work with light-weight solar power planes,” he added.

They went the extra mile to ensure that the entry portals will convey the Expo’s vision of history meeting the future.

Besides the gates, other major installations at the venue came from Asif Khan Studios in London. Khan had been tasked with designing the entire 6km of the Expo’s public realm — which refers to all external urban spaces, walkways, canopies, benches, surrounding trees and lights, among others.

It was certainly a big projecy, he said, as he had to design spaces where visitors will spend most of their time in.

“I wanted to do something that people will remember throughout their life and has the essence of Dubai’s tradition.”

Khan came to Dubai in the early 2017 to understand the culture, Arab tradition and roots, so he can create something extraordinary.

“The present expo 2020 venue was a desert during my first visit. I walked barefoot in that desert and ideas started pouring in.”

Khan has learnt countless lessons from his Expo experience, he said. “It is a privilege to be involved in one of the biggest events the world has ever witnessed.”

A few tubular lights were also designed and around 300 of these lights can be seen across the site. “These are carpet lights, which create an Arabian carpet pattern at night.”