Es Devlin Studio
First UK Pavilion at Expo designed by a woman
The UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai was created by leading artist and designer , Es Devlin .
Shaped like a giant wooden conical musical instrument , the Poem Pavilion gathered words donated by each visitor and used an advanced machine learning algorithm to generate the cumulative collective poem which illuminates its twenty-metre diameter façade .
It ’ s the first time a UK pavilion has been designed by a woman since the inception of Expo in 1851 . Devlin conceived the building to express Britain as a cultural gathering place , a meeting and melding of ideas and language from across the globe .
Each visitor was invited to donate a word at the ‘ mouthpiece ’ of the pavilion , then enter within the heart of the instrument where they were surrounded by donated words glimmering in illuminated Arabic and English , underscored by a soundscape gathered from multicultural choirs across the UK .
As visitors emerged through the façade of the pavilion they passed through the 20-metre diameter composition of collective text : a new poem generated every minute .
Devlin collaborated closely on the designs with structural engineers , Atelier One , environmental design consultants Atelier Ten , executive architects Veretec and creative agency Avantgarde .
Guided by the engineers ’ expertise in sustainable construction , the team chose cross laminated timber as the pavilion ’ s prime
Exterior of the UK Pavilion designed by Es Devlin Studio
24 Es Devlin Studio