Luxembourg becomes first country to break ground on Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion

Luxembourg has become the first nation to break ground on its pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai.

The country’s Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider attended the ceremony at the World Expo site on Sunday.

It was previously the first country to sign an official participation contract for the event in October 2017.

“This pavilion will be a wonderful opportunity for us to promote what our country stands for – innovation and sustainable development. It will have an eye-catching design that will appeal to all ages and interests, and we hope will be a major attraction for the millions of people attending Expo 2020,” said Schneider.

“We are delighted to be the first foreign nation to break ground for its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.”

Around 180 countries are expected to participate in the 2020 world expo, which runs from October 20 until April 10, 2021.

The event, themed ‘connecting minds, creating the future’, will be the first expo where all the participating countries have their own pavilions.

Luxembourg’s structure, located in the expo’s Opportunity District, will be spiral-shaped and contain an exhibition space, a multi-purpose area, a restaurant, a shop, administrative offices and technical facilities.

It will be themed ‘resourceful Luxembourg’ and promote “the country’s ability to reinvent itself and its commitment to sustainable growth”, according to Dubai Media Office.

The design by architects Metaform was chosen following a tender process that ended in April 2017.

Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau executive director Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, who was also in attendance, said other country pavilions should take shape in the months ahead.

Read: Video: Work continues at Dubai Expo 2020 site

In 2017, a number of major contracts were awarded for the 4.38sqkm main expo site including construction related to the UAE pavilion and the central Al Wasl Plaza

Read: Expo 2020 awards major plaza contract

Read: Ground breaking held for UAE Expo 2020 pavilion

A section of the Dubai Metro was also closed in recent months to allow work on an extension to the expo site to take place.

Replacement buses are operating between Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) station and Ibn Battuta station as the 15km expansion from Nakheel Harbour and Tower station to the site of Expo 2020 is finished.

Read: Dubai Metro section to close for 18 months