UAE leaders inaugurate stunning Dubai Expo 2020 Al Wasl Plaza

Dubai - 'The giant dome will be the heart of the Expo site that will bring together 192 countries'

Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed were briefed about Al Wasl Plaza and the preparations to welcome the 192 participating countries and millions of visitors to Expo. The leaders were also briefed on the various phases of Expo completed in 2019 including major construction projects developed under the three sub-themes of the event. The entire project has achieved 150 million working hours and has 38,000 people currently working on site.

Sheikh Mohamed said: “Through Expo 2020, we will show the world how our union was the starting point for our development journey, and how our founding fathers established the robust foundations necessary for sustainable development and progress. We will also have an opportunity to demonstrate how the spirit of collaboration is embedded deep in our national ethos and serves as a means for progress and development. The world will also be able to better understand the achievements we have accomplished in the short period since our nation’s foundation, and will learn about our traditions and heritage, our diversity and our experience of peaceful coexistence.”

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Serving as the centre of Expo 2020, Al Wasl Plaza will be connected to the three districts based on the subthemes of Expo - Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. Their Highnesses also visited the Expo headquarters and “Terra”, the sustainability pavilion, where they were briefed about the pavilion that showcases the ingenuity and possibility of architecture as our society looks for intelligent strategies for sustainable future living. The pavilion, which approximately covers 25,000sq m, has 6,300sq m of exhibition space. It has been designed to be a net zero energy and net zero water building, which means the pavilion generates all of its own power and water needs.

The pavilion has more than 1,050 solar panels arranged on its 130-metre wide canopy and on the locally-designed energy trees (e-trees) that dot the landscape and rotate to face the sun like a sunflower. These can produce four gigawatt hours of electricity per year. The event is expected to receive up to 300,000 visitors on peak days.

The two leaders at the opening ceremony.

UAE leaders watch a display on the Al Wasl Plaza.

Royals and citizens at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai.