The building produces enough electricity for 370 households

With energy trees and 1,000 solar panels on the roof, the Sustainability Pavilion can produce up to 4 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year.

The Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is covered by a 134-meter wide steel arch that can accommodate 1,000 solar panels, making this the most impressive architectural design of the event. This is also one of the most outstanding works in terms of technology, able to produce electricity, water and cooling on its own.

The building can produce up to 4 gigawatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power 370 homes, from photovoltaic cells in the dome and hundreds of other panels placed on 18 "energy trees" scattered around the park. submit. These trees are made from carbon fiber composite , a material commonly used in the aerospace and luxury yacht industries. To optimize performance, each tree has a motorized swivel joint, which keeps it facing the sun all day, says Andrew Whalley, president of UK studio Grimshaw, which designed the building.

Energy produced by the building helps power cooling systems and collects and recycles water. Rainwater and dew are collected through the main dome and network of "water plants" . This is a network of trees that provide shade during the day and collect water at night, taking advantage of temperature differences and condensation. The system filters and recycles the domestic water while the sewer water is cleaned using reed beds, a natural filtration method based on aquatic plants.

Solar panels on the roof of the Sustainability Pavilion building. (Photo: CNN)

To keep the exhibition space cool, the building was partially sunken. The architects designed most of the underground exhibition space. The remaining space is located under the well-insulated roof, forming a protective shield against the outside weather.

The steel dome design of the building was inspired by the ghaf tree, the symbolic tree of the United Arab Emirates. The dome absorbs sunlight, provides shade for everything below, and directs the wind into the sunken courtyard. In order for the dome to extend above the building, the architect used a 70-meter cantilever beam and an ultra-light grid structure. The energy and water plants are also modeled after the dragon's blood tree, a tree native to Yemen known for its dome-shaped leaves that help prevent evaporation, a trait adapted to arid conditions.

Similar to other buildings in the exhibition complex, the building will be used for another purpose, which is to become a community science center.