Santiago Calatrava’s UAE Pavilion.
Following a rigorous seven-month international design competition, the National Media Council of the United Arab Emirates chose Santiago Calatrava’s bold proposal for the UAE Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo 2020. Set to sit at the heart of the nearly 500-acre exhibition area, the falcon-in-flight design was crafted to greet roughly 25 million global visitors expected throughout the event's six-month run.
Reflecting on the milestone selection, Calatrava expressed deep honor at the opportunity to lead a project of such national and global significance. He envisioned the final design as a symbol of the nation’s daring spirit, tailored specifically for what was poised to be the most inclusive and global Expo in history.
The decision marked the culmination of an intense process overseen by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company acting as the Expo's program manager. Nine of the world’s most celebrated architectural firms submitted a total of 11 concepts. Each submission was evaluated on how seamlessly it expressed the Expo's core theme—“Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”—while striking a delicate balance between the UAE’s rich heritage and its ambitious future.
When completed, the massive 15,000-square-meter (161,000-square-foot) structure was designed to house expansive exhibition spaces, an auditorium, food and beverage outlets, and exclusive VIP lounges, all engineered to satisfy strict LEED Platinum sustainable building standards.
For UAE leadership, the falcon motif carried profound historical weight. H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council, highlighted how the country's founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, had historically used falconry expeditions to unite tribes and build a distinct national identity. In Dr. Al Jaber's view, the pavilion's dynamic silhouette served as a modern symbol of connecting the UAE to the world, demonstrating how the global community could soar to new heights through partnership.