KONE to equip World Expo 2020 Dubai key venues: Thematic Districts and Al Wasl Plaza

KONE Corporation, press release, December 5, 2018

KONE Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has been selected to equip the World Expo taking place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2020-2021 with its safe and energy-efficient people flow solutions. Expo 2020 Dubai is scheduled to run between October 20, 2020 and April 10, 2021 and anticipated to attract some 25 million unique visitors under the main theme of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future." 

The Expo 2020 Dubai grounds are designed in the shape of a flower, with Al Wasl Plaza the main square and central visitor hub that connects three, petal-shaped Thematic Districts, each dedicated to one of the Expo's sub themes: mobility, sustainability and opportunity. KONE will equip the Thematic Districts and Al Wasl Plaza with a total of 151 KONE MonoSpace® elevators, 6 dumbwaiters, 6 platform elevators, one elevator for people with limited mobility, and 16 KONE TravelMaster(TM) 110 escalators. The KONE E-Link(TM) facility management tool will enable the performance of all the equipment to be monitored from a single location. 

"We are delighted to contribute to smooth people flow at Expo 2020 Dubai, which promises to be a stimulating showcase of the latest technologies and innovations from around the globe. I am particularly excited that this will be the first World Expo hosted in the Middle East," said Pierre Liautaud, KONE executive vice president for South Europe, Middle East and Africa. 

Expo 2020 Dubai has set the target of achieving the LEED Gold certification for its permanent structures, which will continue to be utilized after the close of the exhibition. The 4.38 square kilometer Expo 2020 Dubai site will live on as a new smart city area to be called District 2020. Plans for the Thematic districts include 6 pavilion buildings designed for commercial, residential and retail use.

Bureau Expo Dubai 2020 is the developer of the project, and the main contractor for the Thematic Districts is Al Futtaim Carillion. Contractors for the buildings in Al Wasl Plaza are Al Futtaim Carillion and Laing O'Rourke Middle East.  

The architects for the Thematic Districts and Al Wasl Plaza are Hopkins Architects Dubai, and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, respectively.

KONE booked the order in the first quarter of 2018. 

Note to editors:
KONE is one of Finland's National Partners for Expo 2020 Dubai. Link to press release on Business Finland's website.