EllisDon Construction, a leading construction and building services company, has been awarded the contract for the design, build and operation of the Canada Pavilion and Public Presentation at the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai event.

Together with consortium members Moriyama & Teshima Architects, and Lord Cultural Resources, EllisDon and team will deliver the pavilion and its public presentation space. They will also be joined by Hatch, Kubik, Thornton Tomasetti, NGX and Cisco, according to Canada’s Ministry of International Trade Diversification.

The contract was awarded to EllisDon Construction by Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, at a key event held in Ontario, Canada.

“The Canada Pavilion in Dubai will serve as a meeting place for Canadian business and innovators. It’s one more way our government is opening doors for companies to compete in thriving global markets, secure new contracts and attract international investment,” remarked Carr.

“As one of Canada’s premier building firms, EllisDon Construction will bring its world-class construction expertise to Dubai and deliver the Canada Pavilion over the coming months,” he added.

A first-of-its-kind event in the region, Expo 2020 Dubai – which will run from October 20 next year to April 10, 2021 – will bring people together from around the globe to the UAE to showcase world innovations and encourage international collaboration.

With an anticipated 25 million visitors, the event will be a platform to showcase Canadian innovation and to promote new business opportunities for Canadian companies, said the ministry. 

This Expo will also be a chance to highlight Canadian leadership in top sectors such as advanced technologies, aerospace, artificial intelligence, tourism and education, as well as to promote Canadian values like gender equality and sustainable practices, it added.

On the contract win, Jody K Becker, chief strategy officer and senior vice-president (services) EllisDon, said: “As part of our long-term commitment to our operations in the Middle East, EllisDon is honoured to have been named the successful proponent for the delivery of the design, construction and operation of the Canada Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai.”

“Together with our team of expert Canadian and Emirati partners, we look forward to delivering a pavilion that will represent all Canadians and of which we can all be proud,” she stated.

MULTI system

Meanwhile, at the German Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Thyssenkrupp Elevator, a global leader in passenger transportation systems, will be showcasing its MULTI pioneering system, the world’s first ropeless elevator for skyscrapers.

According to experts, the revolution in elevator construction that MULTI provides changes the way people move inside buildings, unlocking completely new perspectives for architects, planners and operators. Its capabilities and technical characteristics are game-changers for the industry, they stated.

MULTI was unveiled to the public in June 2017 at thyssenkrupp’s 800-ft, state-of-the-art test tower in Rottweil, Germany. The solution requires fewer and smaller shafts than conventional elevators and can decrease a building’s elevator footprint by up to 50 per cent. This is particularly important considering current elevator-escalator footprints can occupy up to 40 per cent of a high-rise building’s floor space.

On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Koelnmesse is responsible for the organisation and operation of the German Pavilion.

Concept, planning and realisation of the German Pavilion are the responsibility of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Pavillon Expo 2020 Dubai, consisting of the two companies’: facts and fiction (Cologne) and Nussli Adunic (Hüttwilen, Switzerland). facts and fiction is responsible for the content concept, as well as the exhibition and media design, while Nussli Adunic is responsible for the structural execution.

Campus Germany will cover an area of 4,600 sq m, with numerous innovations related to the Expo topic of sustainability. Beyond the Future Energy Lab and Biodiversity Lab, there will also be a Future City Lab.

The cities of tomorrow need adequate mobility solutions – that’s where thyssenkrupp Elevator and MULTI come into play.

“MULTI can move vertically as well as horizontally, and even moves on inclines. Instead of one cabin per shaft, it offers multiple cabins operating in a loop. This results in a 50 per cent higher transport capacity, as well as reduced waiting times for passengers,” explained Peter Walker, CEO at thyssenkrupp Elevator.

The pioneering system creates unlimited new design possibilities and building efficiencies for the cities of tomorrow. It removes height limitations and can be used for skybridges to shuttle from one building to another. It can be also used to open up new directions of travel in underground transport hubs.

MULTI moves with a top speed of 5 to 6 m per second and requires dramatically lower peak power – as much as a 70-per-cent reduction when compared to conventional elevator systems, said the official.