Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Pavilions and Exhibitions Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai talks about sustainability and its importance at Expo 2020
Why is Expo 2020 focusing on sustainability and how is it planning to be one of the most sustainable World Expos in history?
Sustainability is one of Expo 2020’s three key subthemes, along with Opportunity and Mobility. The six-month event will serve as a platform to drive change, share solutions, and explore new ideas that encourage us to act collectively in order to save our planet. The Sustainability subtheme touches on the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of the places we inhabit, and looks to inspire positive environmental impacts on a national, regional and global scale.
Sustainability, as an ideal, has been incorporated into all facets of construction at Expo 2020 Dubai, ranging from energy and water conservation to biodiversity preservation. For instance, energy consumption in permanent buildings onsite will be reduced by more than 30 per cent during the six months of Expo 2020 through a combination of passive design strategies, highly efficient equipment and smart building technology.
What is the idea behind building a smart city? And what makes a smart city sustainable?
Despite occupying only 2 per cent of its landmass, cities currently consume two-thirds of the world’s resources, according to C40, a group of 96 cities that share data on the impact of urban action around the world. To reduce resource consumption and tackle the adverse effects of urban growth via technology, smart city development has become a global focal point – cities and countries are expected to spend upwards of USD2 trillion on smart cities by 2025, according to estimates from consultancies including Frost & Sullivan and PWC.
Studies of energy use at Expo 2020 Dubai, and in its legacy at District 2020, will inform future cities about intelligent urban management strategies, including traffic control schemes and building code changes, that can best advance efficient energy and resource consumption. By modeling a sustainable urban environment at scale, The World’s Greatest Show intends to be a catalyst for the healthy exchange of ideas around how the sustainable cities of the future should be built in the region and further afield.
Tell us about your collaboration with Siemens and how it plays an integral role in supporting Expo 2020’s innovative sustainability efforts?
Siemens, Expo 2020’s Premier Partner for Intelligent Infrastructure and Operations, plays an integral role in supporting Expo 2020’s innovative sustainability efforts through harnessing the power of next generation cloud-based technology. Expo will have one of the largest installations of Siemens’ cloud-based platform MindSphere anywhere in the world. The platform’s modules cover key elements of smart city reporting, such as environmental monitoring, to optimise energy and water usage. By fitting the vast majority of structures on the Expo site with next-generation technology and turning them into truly smart buildings that provide real-time data on energy and resource consumption, MindSphere will help Expo achieve its sustainability goals.
Siemens Navigator, the cloud-based energy management platform powered by MindSphere, connects, collects and analyses data from thousands of sensors across some 140 buildings. These systems will allow Expo 2020 to prove the concept and demonstrate the feasibility of green and smart technologies related to integrated building and district management systems and practices at scale
With the data provided by Navigator, Expo 2020’s facilities team will be able to connect, collect and analyse energy and resource usage from across the site. This actionable data can then be used to create resource usage plans and meet sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs), such as reducing overall water and energy consumption
Expo 2020 Dubai will demonstrate solutions that can inform future cities about the best ways to manage resources and energy. Tell us a little more about what you have in store.
Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the Sustainability Pavilion is establishing a new paradigm in sustainable building design. Drawing inspiration from natural processes such as photosynthesis, the dynamic form of the pavilion is in service to its function, capturing energy from sunlight and fresh water from humid air.
The pavilion aims to be net-zero in terms of external water consumption by using water-reduction strategies including recycling and alternative sources, such as atmospheric water harvesting through the unique dew-harvesting Water Tree. The 130-metre wide canopy (as long as five whales lined-up) features more than 1,055 solar panels that use energy from the sun to generate electricity during the day. Around the structure, energy trees equipped with solar panels will rotate, like sunflowers, to face the sun. Collectively, the building’s technology will produce four Gigawatt hours per year of electricity. The pavilion also sits partially below ground, creating a thermal effect that allows the pavilion to feel cooler than the ambient temperature, while its canopy also shades the pavilion and its visitors from the sun.
The Sustainability Pavilion is being built to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum green building standards – the highest available accreditation for sustainable architecture. In legacy, as a Children and Science Centre. the Sustainability Pavilion will be a self-sustaining building that generates 100 per cent of its energy and water supply.
Post Expo 2020, how will the UAE continue to support its vision of sustainable economic growth and diversification towards an innovation-driven knowledge economy?
This urbanisation of the Expo 2020 site into a smart and sustainable micro city-within-a-city, called District 2020, provides an innovation-driven business ecosystem, while being a diverse and thriving urban community – supporting the UAE’s drive towards an innovation-driven knowledge economy.
In a testament to its promising future, three of Expo’s Official Premier Partners – Accenture, DP World and Siemens – have already committed to establishing a permanent presence in District 2020. Siemens has signed a 10-year lease agreement at District 2020, to establish the operations for its global headquarters for airports, cargo and ports logistics and soon to be spun-off Siemens Energy; while DP World is planning a logistics training centre, and Accenture will launch a digital hub, in addition to other industry-leading companies such as Atlas Capital Holding and Merck KGaA.
What is District 2020 and what can be expected from it?
District 2020 will be a global, future-proof innovation district, evolving from Expo 2020 Dubai. It will inherit 80 per cent of the Expo infrastructure and will transition it into a smart and sustainable integrated community built to be entirely human-centric and follows a mandate to drive progress for the industries crucial to the UAE’s future.
District 2020 will deliver a work and lifestyle environment for professionals and families alike through cultural diversity, connectivity, smart infrastructure, green spaces, underlined with technology.
District 2020 will comprise of several neighbourhoods including multi-use residential, commercial, and public spaces, social and cultural platforms, education facilities, and a varied hospitality, retail, and F&B offering. It will grow over phases, eventually becoming home to 145,000 residents and workers.
District 2020’s advanced physical and digital infrastructure will enable businesses to collaborate and innovate in their respective industries. This includes a mix of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs, and start-ups, along with large global corporations that will establish headquarters, innovation labs and R&D centres at District 2020. Cooperation between businesses of all sizes will spur ideation and innovation to ultimately support the UAE’s drive towards an innovation-driven economy.
District 2020’s innovation ecosystem will focus on enabling cross-industry collaboration between key industries such as logistics and transport, travel and tourism, construction and real estate and education. It will bring together these industries with enabling technologies that are drivers of future progress, such as the internet of things (IoT), blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.
Built to be smart and with sustainability in mind, District 2020 will feature next-generation digital infrastructure that includes 5G internet connectivity. Smart technologies will optimise the way District 2020 will operate and promote sustainability as a lifestyle, through smart metering and integrated sensors that help reduce environmental impact.
The realisation of District 2020 will be aided by Scale2Dubai, a global entrepreneur programme that enables start-ups and small businesses to expand internationally by becoming part of its innovation ecosystem.
Targeting enterprises across the world, the programme will build on the platform provided by Expo 2020 and carry forward the mega event’s vision of gathering global minds, while also promoting diversity, innovation, and knowledge-sharing to create lasting benefits for organisations.
The programme will enable start-ups and global innovators to scale their businesses in Dubai by capitalising on the partnerships formed through their country’s participation in the Expo 2020.
Successful applicants will benefit from a soft-landing into Dubai within District 2020, given the support they need to scale, adapt, and establish themselves in the UAE. Benefits include two years of free working space, support in visa and business set-up. Additionally, they’ll be empowered by District 2020’s physical and digital infrastructure, ideal strategic geographic location, and a unique work and living ecosystem.
How will D2020 be a model of a smart and sustainable city of the future?
Our vision has always been to develop a human-centric, smart, and sustainable innovation ecosystem that will continue to grow and evolve for decades.
With sustainability central to our approach, we will retain 80 per cent of Expo 2020’s physical infrastructure, which includes LEED Gold certified buildings. We will be repurposing Expo 2020’s assets into adaptable, mixed-use spaces that include modern offices and retail and residential properties.
A smart, human-centric community also means combining the enablers of human wellbeing with advanced technology. These technologies include smart mobility solutions such as autonomous vehicle (AV) routes throughout, and smart technologies such as IoT sensors and networks that enable smart metering and monitoring of energy and water use in real time.
Moreover, District 2020 is designed with holistic living in mind. It will promote healthy living and offer a balanced lifestyle as a fully pedestrianized destination, with green and open spaces and facilities such as dedicated jogging and biking paths. Creating a new type of urban development in the UAE and for the region.