McLaren has been chosen to build the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The design was conceived by UK artist and designer Es Devlin, who was appointed last September. When the contract was put out to tender the government put a price tag of £17m on the project. The centerpiece of the UK Pavilion is a 20m-high, cone-shaped structure made up of rows of protruding slats that form a circular facade. The building will also feature cross-laminated timber on a concrete structure, with much of the Pavilion manufactured and assembled offsite. Announcing its appointment, McLaren promised it would meet the requirements of the UK Modern Slavery Act as a minimum, which exceed local legislation. Expo 2020 Dubai is also pioneering a new worker welfare standard across the site. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive has been working with Expo 2020 Dubai to support this. The site masterplan for the Expo 2020 Dubai was designed by American firm HOK and is organized around a central plaza enclosed by three large pavilions. The construction contract for these pavilions was given to Al-Futtaim Carillion, a JV between the Dubai-based conglomerate and the now-collapsed British contractor.
The article was first published on building.co.uk
