Taking part in an international competition is a challenge that tests method even before talent. For United Arab Emirates University, Base engineering designed and delivered an exhibition pavilion of around 300 m² in Dubai: a space small in scale, but dense in conceptual ambition. The theme is a journey through desert landscapes - from ocean to sandstorm, from mirage to oasis, through to the starry night - built as an immersive, sequential experience. The project grew out of an interdisciplinary pre-design workshop that brought architects, engineers, designers, graphic designers, modellers, artists and craftspeople together around a narrative interweaving Arab and European culture. Development, from concept to delivery, was carried out with a local partner in Dubai, Cube, within a regulatory and logistical context far removed from the Italian one. The UAEU pavilion is the smallest format in the Base engineering portfolio and, at the same time, one of the clearest cases of how collective method and international dialogue can coincide in a single built object. And we won it.
Project Axonometric
The Project
Overview
The project developed for the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) for Expo Dubai 2020 is an initiative of international scope aimed at redefining the role of higher education in the Arab world. Through the only university pavilion present at the Universal Exposition, UAEU presented to the public its vision of the "University of the Future", turning Expo into a platform for experimentation and the pre-launch of a new educational model. Set within District 2020 - Mobility District, the pavilion is conceived as an immersive experience: an exhibition itinerary dedicated to the university of the future and to the "Pathfinders Program", a pilot project aimed at selected students and oriented towards the development of entrepreneurial skills and problem-solving abilities. The aim of the initiative: to build a World Class University capable of forming not mere job-seekers, but future innovators and problem-solvers, while at the same time creating an international ecosystem able to attract strategic partners and foster academic and entrepreneurial collaborations on a global scale.
The Challenge
The project arises from the will to address one of the main social challenges of the Arab world: growing youth unemployment and the need to offer new prospects to future generations through education, innovation and entrepreneurship. To achieve this objective it was necessary to radically rethink the traditional university model, moving beyond rigid educational paths to build an educational system centred on the challenges of the contemporary world, on transversal skills and on the ability to turn ideas into concrete initiatives. From an operational standpoint, the project required the coordination of the design, construction and fit-out of an exhibition pavilion within Expo Dubai 2020, complying with extremely tight timescales and with one of the most complex systems of technical and contractual procedures at an international level.
Pre-Development & Governance
The pre-development phase unfolded over about twenty months - from February 2019 to October 2020 - during which the exhibition concept, the educational model, the business model and the development strategy of the future university were defined, together with an articulated economic plan based on diversified revenue sources (industrial partnerships, sponsorships, dedicated funds, investment programmes) and feasibility studies for transforming the pavilion into a permanent university campus. The governance of the project was led by the United Arab Emirates University - with Prof. Nihel Chabrak, Executive Director, and Dr. Sahera Bleibleh, Pavilion Director - while technical coordination was entrusted to F&M Middle East, principal consultant for project management and multidisciplinary supervision. Within this framework we developed the architectural concept, the interior design and the project renderings, contributing to the definition of the pavilion's spatial identity, within a team completed by specialists in experience design, exhibition content, software development and interactive technologies, and by the General Contractor Cube.
Systems & Technical Coordination
The entire process was organized into specialist packages, each dedicated to a specific design discipline, to guarantee the highest level of quality and coordination. We developed the architectural project and the interior environments in close collaboration with F&M Middle East, integrating the spatial aspects with the technological and experiential ones; the team dedicated to content designed the interactive installations and the visitor itinerary, while the lighting-design specialists defined the immersive atmospheres of the exhibition spaces. The integration of architecture, technology and multimedia was supported by advanced three-dimensional models and by a rigorous system of digital coordination, indispensable for verifying the compatibility between architectural elements, audiovisual systems and interactive installations. Development was monitored with detailed planning based on GANTT charts and continuous control procedures, in compliance with the milestones imposed by the Expo Dubai 2020 programme.
Process Management
The construction of the pavilion required the coordination of an articulated international network: the United Arab Emirates University, F&M Middle East, ourselves, the consultants specialized in exhibition content and the General Contractor in charge of construction. The organization was based on multidisciplinary workshops, periodic progress meetings and a structured system of activity monitoring, to manage design, procurement, fit-out and technology installation in an integrated way. The operational complexity and the extremely reduced timescales required constant control of the contractor's performance: at the most critical moments the client reinforced the supervision system with additional levels of control, to guarantee quality standards and deadlines.
Value Added
For the United Arab Emirates University: an important opportunity for international positioning as a promoter of new educational models oriented towards innovation, entrepreneurship and social impact - up to the launch of the Pathfinders Fund, an investment fund dedicated to the development of new enterprises and innovative start-ups. For the United Arab Emirates: the strengthening of the strategy to transform Expo 2020 into a permanent district of knowledge, enhancing the country as an international hub for talent, research and innovation. For students and future users: a radically innovative educational model, built around global challenges, with mentoring programmes, development support and access to seed capital. For us: a significant experience in the management of highly complex international projects - multidisciplinary coordination, the design of immersive exhibition spaces, the development of strategic projects within one of the most important international events of recent years.
