Let’s get to know the heart of the DUPLOMATIC MS project for the UAE Pavilion at EXPO 2020

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Interview with Carlo Vergano , Project Manager for UAE Pavilion at EXPO 2020

Our journey to EXPO 2020 began several years ago.

The rather unusual goal was to apply mechatronics to a building, essentially setting up a machine on top of a unique structure in the world.

The key element was to create something technically flawless, featuring a scenographic effect: applying skills in the industrial sector not to produce but to create something aesthetically beautiful and surprising. This unique project faced challenges well beyond those of typical industrial applications. A functional design was not enough, the final aim was to delight and astonish visitors.

Probably the visitors of Expo will not realize it, but behind this project there is a significant technical complexity as well as a remarkable management capacity.

Creating this motion system, capable of opening and closing - in a synchronized harmonic fashion - the 28 wings that constitute it and which represent the flight of a falcon - the symbolic animal of the United Arab Emirates - was a very ambitious task, which we are bringing to end thanks to competence, determination, and commitment.

Duplomatic's ability to dive into this project with our strong commitment - never failed - to complete it in the best possible way, was surprising. This is certainly not the core business of the company, but our will and skills have ensured that Duplomatic is known and considered an excellence at Expo. This, although our solutions have always been different from what was expected. Our technical solution was different from what was initially requested, our bringing to the table the critical issues for the good of the project was different from the typical approach of a sub-contractor, our flexibility and availability for the continuation of the project has been always present and recognized.

At the Turnkey Projects Business Unit of DUPLOMATIC MS we think that this is the approach that led us to win the tender and to be able to deliver, after unimaginable situations, this system to the final customer: the Emir of Abu Dhabi.

We interpreted our task on two levels:

• creating a reliable and apparently simple user interface system.
• making motion spectacular, dedicating the utmost care to the nuances that make the difference between a product that works and a beautiful object.

The engineering functions, for once, were not at the center of the order, but the focus was their ability to result in the aesthetic level expected from the creativity of the project.

In a sense, we tried to use and find the "right numbers" to create an emotion. In this way the visual effect dominates and hides the functional dimension, which cannot be seen but it is the real beating heart of the system.

Creating the roof wing opening system of the United Arab Emirates pavilion gave us the opportunity to deal with new issues, like the technical approach of the construction world, and the intricate management of Expo 2020.

In the end we got the result: the roof unfolds in less than 3 minutes (in numbers: 180 seconds with a tolerance of less than a second, but the human eye does not perceive the micro-movements we have created to avoid the vibrations of the wings), thus creating an "extraordinary" scenic effect, as the Calatrava International delegation invited to examine this aesthetic aspect told us.

The opening and closing can be planned according to a defined calendar, but an operator is always present to give the command to start the procedure for safety reasons and to manage extraordinary openings during night events enriched by light effects thanks to the thousands of programmable multi-chromatic LEDs installed at the edges of the wings.

 

Does the motion system need service and maintenance during the whole EXPO 2020?

Certainly, such a complex system must be assisted by a skilled maintenance and support team that is always present on site.

Thanks to the consideration given to Duplomatic, the maintenance and assistance contract was assigned to Duplomatic Middle East: Part of the basement of the building is dedicated to the storage of emergency spare parts to guarantee the shortest possible downtime.

Being basically a prototype, with complex design choices, EXPO 2020 immediately realized that Duplomatic was the most suitable solution.

It is a very articulated mechanism, including sensors, circuits and cables that our team will provide for care and maintenance every night, so that the openings and closings are always perfect and in line with standards.

 

The future of the UAE Pavilion at EXPO 2020

The building will still be running even after EXPO because there are plans for a museum center that will integrate the pavilion as a symbol of the entire nation.

Wings in the opening system: 28 - Project duration in months. 42

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