Al Wasl Plaza will be the heart of the Dubai World Exhibition as well as the center of the future community of the legacy neighborhood. During the day it will serve to shade thousands of visitors as they congregate at the center of the Expo between visits to the plethora of pavilions. At night it will become the arena for the rich program of performances and spectacles that will take place every night during the expo.
BIGs design has evolved over the years to ensure the best possible solutions in function, program, sustainability, and future security. Designed as a piece of social infrastructure, the travel center is shaped for the flow of people and public life. The building celebrates movement and creates a welcoming, warm and transparent mobility hub that will become an important social and economic node redefining the city’s infrastructure and landscape.
Regular repetition of urban furniture in an area, such as the placement of trees in a row with the base light of consecutive lights, encourages citizens and tourists to walk more and encourage double enjoyment of space. Consider that area with a variety of park benches next to them in proportion to the number, shape and color of the park waste bin; A place for children to play with modern equipment such as: polyethylene play equipment in various forms, bodybuilding equipment, etc .; To be decorated, there is no doubt that in this case, urban furniture has been successful in instilling a sense of well-being, peace and security in its audience.
To prove that the concept was affordable with standard techniques, BIG decided that nothing would be more convincing than building it in LEGO. It happened that on the : scale model of the building, the size of a single pixel was identical to the size of the smallest one-dot LEGO brick. The model showcased the silhouette that combines the stepped figure of the traditional spire with the rationality and rigour of a functional structure.
Daily users and visitors enter directly into the Gastro Hall, the backbone of GOe. This central space runs from the ground floor all the way to the roof. Like a promenade, the grand staircase connects all programs and levels within the building and doubles as an amphitheater for events and lectures, allowing visitors to observe the showcase kitchens and ongoing research during their visit. Moving up, visitors can continue into the auditorium, public terraces, or experience world-class cuisine at the top floor restaurant.