A large water tower encircled with glinting gold prisms, representing the country’s desert, will symbolise Kuwait’s message to protect and preserve scarce resources, at Expo 2020 this year.
The water tower soars above the golden facade and commands the central space of the Kuwait pavilion under construction at the sprawling Dubai South site.
Kuwaiti officials, along with Consul General Diab Al Rashidi, presented details about the country's participation during a meeting in Dubai on Tuesday.
Acting as a canopy that stretches and provides shade to visitors below, the tower is a symbol of 33 landmarks in Kuwait City that store massive amounts of fresh water in elevated tanks.
The main funnel of the tower will be illuminated once the six-month world fair opens in October.
The design of the pavilion aims to spread the country’s message of sustainability and respect for the natural environment.
Officials said Kuwait’s participation and its decision to build a large pavilion were due to its close ties with the UAE.
“The United Arab Emirate’s success at hosting Expo 2020 is also a success for the State of Kuwait,” said Munirah Al Huwaidi, commissioner general of the Kuwait Expo 2020 Dubai.
“The brotherly ties and excellent historical relations that continue to flourish between the state of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have been the larger motive for Kuwait’s active and committed participation.”
The exhibition areas within the pavilion will display industrial sectors, innovations and creative talent of the people of Kuwait, she said.
Young people will be a key focus of the country’s offering with space for a theatre, performances, activities for children and a rooftop terrace within the three-storey structure that spreads over a 4,500 sq metre plot.
“We are embarking on an exceptional and distinctive global event,” said Ms Al Huwaidi, also the undersecretary for the Ministry of Information, about her country’s support for the UAE’s organisation of the world fair.
Khaled Mahdi, Secretary General of the government’s Supreme Council for Planning and Development, said the pavilion would plot the country’s progress from highlighting water as a basic need to the developments in modern day Kuwait.
“One of the beautiful things of the design is that it reveals the fluidity of the sand, water and with it shows the simplicity that is part of Kuwaiti culture,” he said.
“It will reflect our humble beginnings, our strength in trading and how our history connects to our future.”
Mr Mahdi said the circular patterns within the pavilion were intended to draw visitors from the inner courtyard to the exhibition floors and eventually to the canopied rooftop.
The Kuwait pavilion will be located near the expo’s central Al Wasl dome, a 360-degree projection screen that will be the focal point for visitors and the staging area for the main ceremonies.
Expo 2020 Dubai will run until April 2021 and is expected to attract millions of visitors from the GCC and across the world.
