Under the overarching theme of ‘Nature. Nurture. Future.’, the Singapore Pavilion at EXPO 2020 Dubai will offer an immersive experience of the city-state’s efforts towards becoming a city immersed in nature. Designed to be a self-sufficient ecosystem to achieve net-zero energy over the six-month event period and accentuated by a showcase of its culture, the pavilion, aptly located within the Sustainability district of the expo, is a microcosm of Singapore itself.
“Designed as a multi-layered, three-dimensional green space, the Singapore Pavilion will showcase Singapore’s strengths and expertise in innovative urban solutions, and highlight how the country continues to rise above its physical limitations to strive towards liveability, sustainability and resilience,” Larry Ng, Commissioner-General of the Singapore Pavilion, tells TTN.
“We are excited about the upcoming World Expo which will provide Singapore with a global platform to showcase its innovative urban solutions and culture. The visitors to the Singapore Pavilion will be offered many unique and immersive experiences into the countries vibrant and dynamic culture and its effort towards becoming a City in Nature. We are confident that the visitors to the Singapore Pavilion will come out feeling mesmerised having witnessed the prefer amalgamation of design, technology and culture" - Beverly Au Yong, Area Director, Singapore Tourism Board Middle East
“Peranakan culture is a part of Singapore’s diverse multicultural fabric, and it is the inspiration behind the design of some of the retail offerings that will be showcased at the Singapore Pavilion.
“The Singapore Pavilion also celebrates our people, and the Singaporean spirit of ingenuity, creativity and entrepreneurship. Visitors will also have the chance to bring home a piece of Singapore, with a thoughtfully curated selection of design merchandise and food delicacies from homegrown brands that presents the best of Singapore’s dynamic food and design culture on the global stage, such as The Art Faculty, Supermama, Onlewo, Jumain Sataysfaction and Coffee Break.”
Designed by Singapore-based architectural practice WOHA, Singapore Pavilion, showcases a journey through three verdant thematic cones connected by a meandering, gently sloping canopy walk capped with a hanging garden of draping vines, re-creating the atmosphere of the lush tropical urban landscape of Singapore.
The pavilion will have minimal impact to the environment through its lifecycle. It will be a self-sufficient ecosystem, achieving net-zero energy during the six-month event period via the use of solar panels, management of energy and desalination of saline groundwater. The regenerative design approach aims to repair and restore the ecosystem and biodiversity, and to create an environment in which humans can live harmoniously with nature.
Needless to say, the cost of building such a pavilion has been to the tune of millions of dollars and the cost of building pavilions for the EXPO site has only risen as the pandemic has delayed the event by a year.
“I would say in terms of return on investment, the fact that we are here, the people are here and are aware of what we are doing should be investment enough. If we will have encouraged people to think about the future, about sustainability and climate change, smart urban solutions and the new normal I would say it is plenty return on investment,” Ng tells TTN.
“The EXPO and other pavilions have already started to engage virtually through the online EXPO and an online version of the Singapore Pavilion as we don’t want anybody who could not meet us physically to miss out coming to the pavilion. The EXPO is an important platform – it happens once in five years and it is more important now for everyone to engage and cocreate, and discuss solutions about the pandemic and the post normal and other such issues.”
“We are excited about the upcoming World Expo which will provide Singapore with a global platform to showcase its innovative urban solutions and culture. The visitors to the Singapore Pavilion will be offered many unique and immersive experiences into the countries vibrant and dynamic culture and its effort towards becoming a City in Nature. We are confident that the visitors to the Singapore Pavilion will come out feeling mesmerised having witnessed the prefer amalgamation of design, technology and culture,” says Beverly Au Yong, Area Director, Singapore Tourism Board Middle East.