38 Clay Plaster Cones Crisscross to Form a Climate-Sensitive Pavilion | querkraft

Historical wind towers and climate-regulating properties of the traditional Arab clay architecture inspire the Austrian pavilion. Designed by Vienna-based architecture studio querkraft architekten, the Austrian pavilion reinterprets Dubai’s building traditions through its striking 38 intersecting cones of different heights that form the shape of a pavilion. Know more about it on SURFACES REPORTER (SR).

Set up at EXPO 2020 Dubai, the Austrian pavilion offers adequate space to enter into a multicultural dialogue on questions of a sustainable future. With ‘Austria makes sense’ slogan, the pavilion represented its country in a sensual way. Nestled around three green courtyards, the Austrian pavilion comprises unique room sequences that distinguish the inside and the outside.

The haptic surfaces of the pavilion are made of clay plaster, while the canopy of leaves rustles through the open cones. The pavilion executes a play of light and shadow and brings the audience closer to culture and technical innovations. The use of local building methods and smart climate engineering from Austria makes the pavilion dispense with conventional air conditioning technology even in the hottest desert climate. Compared to similar building types, the energy requirement has been reduced by more than 70 per cent.

The Austrian pavilion has been executed with the economical use of resources. Each cone of the pavilion is constructed from eight different fabricated parts in an igloo system. Post 182 days after the event, the cones of the pavilion had been dismantled into their individual parts and reassembled in a new location in the Arab world.

Project details

Location: Dubai, UAE

Size: 1.600 m2

Client: Austrian Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs; Austrian Federal Economic Chamber

Project management: Werner Consult

General planning: querkraft architekten

Project architect: Clemens Russ

Team: Fabian Kahr, Guillermo Alvarez, Konrad Brack, Verena Fessele, Fraym Hanna, Elisabeth Hofstetter, Maja Karska and Felix Zitter

Team (competition): Stefanie Meyer and Tim Stahlhut

Exhibition design: Buro Wien; Ars Electronica Solutions

Visual identity and graphic design: Bleed

Structural engineering: Werkraum Ingenieure; WME Engineering Consultants

Climate engineering: Ingenieurburo P Jung

Landscape design: Kieran Fraser Landscape Design; Green4cities

Fire protection: Design Confidence

Light design: Pokorny Lichtarchitektur

Acoustic engineering: David Haigner

AV/IT engineering: WME Engineering Consultants

Security engineering: WME Engineering Consultants

Architect of records: WME Engineering Consultants

General contractor: Nussli Group

Cost management: Vienna Consulting Engineers

Kitchen planning: Sofia Refrigeration

Geology: Geotechnik Bauingenieure

Visualization: Patricia Bagienski

Model building: Modellwerkstatt Gerhard Stocker Design and Function

Photographs: Andreas Keller, Day Eid, Kieran Fraser, Carmen Egger and Fabian Kahr; Courtesy: querkraft architekten