Duplomatic helps Expo in Dubai to take flight

The Universal Expo 2020 has been inaugurated in Dubai and the pavilion of host country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, features an impressive roof that represents hawk’s wings; hawk is the UAE’s national symbol.

The UAE pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, designed by Santiago Calatrava

The UAE pavilion is the largest in the Expo 2020 with a 15000-m2 area and a height of 27.8 m. Calatrava and his team designed the unique roof that opens up in the shape of hawk’s wings ready to take flight. The roof and the hydraulic system that allow the wings to open have been designed and constructed by Italy-based Duplomatic MS Spa.

The movement of the 28 carbon-fiber wings that make up the roof of the pavilion is coordinated by the architecture of the control electronics, where nine dedicated computers and software manage over 2 000 control points distributed throughout the pavilion. The system opens and closes the roof in combination with light effects that give unique emotions to the public visiting the pavilion.

Duplomatic commented that this project is the largest hydraulic system of this kind ever built. The system consists of a 1-MW hydraulic power plant, with a tank containing 20 000 L of oil, which supplies 46 hydraulic cylinders distributed on the 28 wings with the pressurized fluid.

After the Expo, the pavilion will be converted into the home of the national history museum of the Emirates.

The event, originally delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is taking place from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.