Sweden will bring forest to the desert at Expo 2020 Dubai

The forest will meet the desert at Expo 2020 Dubai, as Sweden reveals that the design of its pavilion blends dense Nordic woodland with Islamic geometric shapes.

The winning design for the Sweden Pavilion unites western and eastern cultures and was unveiled by the Swedish Expo 2020 committee, following a competition hosted by Architects Sweden and the Swedish Expo 2020 committee.

Promising to leave visitors moved, the building’s ground floor will house public areas, exhibitions and cafés, while offices and conference rooms are raised aloft – like tree houses – forming a roof over parts of the pavilion. The exhibition area is open-plan, but enclosed spaces are implied and suggested, with hundreds of tree trunks standing in clusters.

The tree houses clad with wooden lattice screens will offer shade from the sun, while the impression and sense of room created by the trunks will be intensified by a soaring mirror-clad structure, dividing the exhibition area for a refined and simple result.

Located in the Sustainability Thematic District, Sweden says its pavilion will have a welcoming entrance carefully laid out to avoid long queues. With a clear path connecting various zones and themes, the standing trunks will create a special ambience to enclose and divide space to form backdrops and pillars.

The Sweden Pavilion was designed by Stockholm-based Alessandro Ripellino Architects, Studio Adrien Gardère and Luigi Pardo Architetti.

Sweden is the latest country to reveal the design and theme of its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. More are expected to follow in the coming months.