querkraft

Expo 2020 in Dubai, the first world exhibition in an Arab country, was held from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 under the motto "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" raising the question of future visions, concepts and technologies for living together in an increasingly networked world. In line with this overarching theme, the Austrian pavilion offers the appropriate space to enter into a multicultural dialog on issues relating to a sustainable future. "Austria makes sense" is the ambiguous motto according to which our country presents itself in a sensual way.

querkraft architects were inspired by the historic wind towers and the climate-regulating properties of Arabian clay architecture. Reinterpreting the building traditions of the host country, 38 interlocking cones of different heights form the unmistakable shape of the Austrian EXPO pavilion. Grouped around three green courtyards, exciting and unique spatial sequences with different atmospheres are created both inside and out. With haptically pleasant surfaces made of clay plaster, leafy roofs rustling in the wind above the open cones and the omnipresent interplay of light and shadow, the building itself appeals to all the senses.
The exhibition design staged by Büro Wien, Ars Electronica Solutions and the Bleed design agency underlines and complements this special spatial atmosphere. An interculturally understandable visual language and media art installations bring culture and technical innovations from Austria closer to the international public in an intuitively understandable way.

Emotional and ecological sustainability
In the Austrian pavilion, visitors will find a place to slow down and relax amidst the hustle and bustle of the Expo, with a pleasant indoor climate, natural light and a connection to nature. Thanks to its iconic shape and positive aura, the temporary building will live on beyond EXPO 2020, not only in the cherished memories of its international guests. Designed from the outset with the economical use of resources in mind, the pavilion will also endure in a physical sense. This is made possible by its construction using just eight different types of prefabricated elements. After the 182 days of EXPO 2020, the cones will be dismantled into their individual parts and reassembled at a new location in the Arab region.
The combination of local building tradition and intelligent climate engineering from Austria means that conventional air conditioning technology can be largely dispensed with in the hot desert climate. The energy requirement has been reduced by more than 70 percent compared to buildings of a similar type and use. The querkraft pavilion thus makes an intercultural contribution to the energy debate and to issues of climate-sensitive construction.