What is the concept behind the Australian Pavilion, EXPO 2020 Dubai?

Our design concept is that ‘a piece of Australia’ has been brought to Dubai as a gesture of goodwill and participation for World Expo 2020. Its predominant form is the digital sampling of a cumulus cloud, a natural phenomenon that is mobile across all Australian landscapes and is indeed evident across the world. The cumulus cloud is agile and ever changing and is a sign of clear weather and expansiveness. As an architectural form in Dubai, it creates a canopy for shade and gathering, welcoming all visitors from all nations to our place.

How does a cloud-like form manifest, physically in the Pavilion canopy?

The cloud canopy is represented as a tectonic form, made up of a series of elements that combine to create an abstraction of the cloud as a large, strong and beautiful shape. Vertical, powder-coated aluminium blades in varying lengths are fitted at different heights to create the appearance of a single billowing form. The ever-changing sky and light quality bring a shifting play of light and shadow reflected across the form. As a cohesive form derived from many individual parts, the cloud symbolises the strength we draw from a society that is socially, culturally and intellectually mobile.

2022 AIA International Chapter Commendation
Public Architecture

2022 World Architecture Festival Shortlist
Completed Buildings – Display

2022 Good Design Awards
Gold award winner

2022 Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards Finalist
Creative Industries