Preparations for Expo 2020 Dubai Underway

NEW footage has revealed construction progress of Expo 2020, a Universal Exposition set to be held in Dubai.

The site of Expo 2020 comprises some 438 hectares (1,083 acres) on the south-western edge of Dubai masterplanned by American architecture, engineering and planning firm HOK.

Above: A render of the Expo 2020 site (courtesy of HOK).

A third of the site will be dedicated to the Expo itself, while the remaining areas will comprise offices, hospitality and logistics facilities and a station on the Metro.

Currently 20,000 construction workers and engineers are working on site with that number expected to double by next year.

Above: A station of Dubai Metro will connect the site to the city's public transit network (image courtesy of Construction Week).

The expo will feature exhibits on the themes of "Mobility", "Sustainability" and "Opportunity", as well as national pavilions located around a central shaded plaza called "Al Wasl", meaning "connection" in Arabic.

50% of the Expo's energy will be produced on site using photovoltaic (PV) panels.

Above: 20,000 construction workers are currently on-site, a number which is expected to double in 2019 (image courtesy of Construction Week).

Dubai was awarded the Expo in 2013 and construction started in early 2017. According to the authorities, the scheme is well underway and on schedule to finish all major construction by October 2019.

This is a full year before the event opens to public on 20 October 2020, giving the organisers and participants plenty of time to prepare the exhibits.

21 million visitors are expected to attend the six month-long event whose theme is "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". The video below, courtesy of Expo 2020, provides an overview of the Expo site: