MASTER PLAN DUBAI WORLD EXPO 2020 BY HOK

Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo, themed “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, will become the first Middle Eastern city to host the event in its 150-year history.

HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021. The plan looks to the future while paying homage to Emirati culture and heritage.

The 1,082-acre (438-hectare) Expo site is on the southwestern edge of Dubaiin Jebel Ali, near Dubai’s new Al Maktoum International Airport and Jebel Ali Port. HOK’s design features three separate pavilions symbolizing opportunity, sustainability and mobility, with “innovation pods” and “best practice areas” in each thematic zone.

These three zones emanate from a central plaza named the Al Wasl, a historical name for Dubai meaning “the connection.” Inspired by the layout of a traditional Arabic “souk,” or marketplace, the design places larger pavilions to the perimeter while clustering smaller exhibit spaces toward the center of the site. This creates a smooth pedestrian flow while encouraging interaction among visitors.

The team planned the Expo site and infrastructure to create a new sustainable benchmark for events in the Middle East. An iconic photovoltaic fabric structure covers the main walkways, acting as a solar-powered sun shade and combining with photovoltaic panels on building facades to capture enough sunlight to generate at least half of the Expo’s energy requirements onsite.

At night, the fabric will be transformed into an illuminated display of lights and digital projections. Smaller connective streets will be shaded through the use of pavilions and strategic landscaping. The alternative transportation plan includes a gondola that links each of the thematic zones and the main entrance while creating an additional viewing experience for visitors.

After the close of the Expo in 2021, three main pavilions – the Welcome Pavilion, the Innovation Pavilion and the UAE Pavilion – will be combined and transformed into the Museum of the Future. HOK teamed with Populous, which provided venue planning and participant design guidelines, and Arup, which provided infrastructure and transportation services, on the master plan.

THE FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE BY HOK

The Francis Crick Institute is an ambitious project to create a world-leading centre of biomedical research and innovation in the heart of London.

The building design encourages the sharing of knowledge and collaboration, distinguishing the Francis Crick Institute from other research facilities and helping to attract the world’s most talented scientists.

Located in the heart of London, the institute is a landmark partnership between the UK’s three largest funders of biomedical research: the Medical Research Council; Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust and three of its leading universities: UCL; Imperial College London and King’s College London.

Scientists will carry out discovery biomedical research to help better understand why disease develops and to find new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat a range of illnesses. As lead architect, HOK designed a world-class scientific facility that encourages collaboration and innovation.

The interior balances the need to provide formal research areas with a mix of informal break-out areas designed to draw together people from different organizations. An auditorium, exhibition area and teaching lab located adjacent to the main entrance underline the Crick’s fundamental ethos of collaboration, communication and community engagement.

Developed in collaboration with PLP Architecture, the design of the building exterior responds to the area’s architectural heritage while respecting the residential community. Both the masonry and the distinctive vaulted roof recall features of the adjacent St. Pancras International station.

The large, cantilevered bay windows along with the tall glass atria reduce the impact of the building at street level and provide natural light in work and public areas. “Buildings cannot cure cancer or solve the threat from antibiotic-resistant diseases,” wrote Rich Heap on UBM’s Future cities website.

“But the design of buildings can help the scientists who try to. That is the hope of the six partners behind the Francis Crick Institute in London — known as ‘The Crick’ for short. This institute is set to be the biggest centre for biomedical research in Europe when it opens, due in 2015.”

Location: London, UK 
Architects: HOK 
Partners: PLP Architecture 
Size: 635,000 sq. ft. / 59,000 sq. m. 
Year: 2014 
Client: The Francis Crick Institute