Projekt Report
Swiss Pavillon
Expo 2020 Dubai
Swiss pavilion with a vast, continuous curtain wall made of facade breather membrane Euroclass A2
Expo 2020, the first world fair in the Middle East, started on 1st October following a one-year delay due to the Covid pandemic. The event organiser attracted over 190 countries to the site in the desert, including Switzerland with its striking pavilion. Visitors walk on a plush red carpet that turns into a cube-shaped image in a mirrored facade. Based on the "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" EXPO theme, Switzerland will showcase itself as a country with spectacular scenery and a hub for innovations. The latter is reflected in the presentation of first-class projects and products from Swiss universities, start-ups and innovative companies such as Serge Ferrari.
Inspired by Bedouin tents
Following the concept of "reflections", project teams from OOS (architecture), Bellprat Partners (scenography) and Lorenz Eugster (landscape) came up with a blueprint for the Swiss pavilion at the EXPO 2020 in Dubai that pays homage to temporary Bedouin tents. The design is based on a frame consisting of pieces of scaffolding and textiles. These are easy to set up and remove and reflect the world fair’s sustainability theme. Part of the mix is also the hi-tech, limited-combustible Stamisol Safe One facade breather membrane, which was fitted as a gigantic curtain wall facade.
Architectural hi-tech-membrane
The facades at the entrance to the pavilion are clad with mirrors. Those to the north and south feature a magnificent, fabric curtain wall, which is impressive for its silvery shimmer and the sophisticated way it’s draped. In this case, the fabric is actually a hi-tech facade membrane and demonstrates the role technical textiles from Switzerland play in contemporary architecture.
A safer solution
Stamisol Safe One was launched in 2019 as the world’s first facade breather membrane with Euroclass A2-s1,d0 rating and is made by Serge Ferrari AG in Switzerland. The company’s CEO Niklaus Zemp explains how the product came about: “When tragic fires, such as the one at Grenfell Tower in London, showed us how vulnerable high-rise buildings, or other high-risk buildings can be, we realised that the rear-ventilated level with its facade membranes are a risk for fire safety. We grabbed the opportunity to devote a lot of our R&D resources into developing a facade membrane that not only incorporates the superb weatherproof functionalities of Stamisol products, but also effectively prevents fire from spreading thanks to its excellent Euroclass A2-s1,d0 fire safety rating. The result was an in-house developed fibreglass fabric with a special elastomer coating that’s also diffusion-capable.
Outstanding safety for occupants and building users
What was previously only achievable for facade cladding and insulation is now an option for facade membranes too. As a result, continuous facades with a Euroclass A2 rating are possible with Stamisol Safe One and result in the following benefits:
- Assist in preventing flashover, reducing the risk of the fire developing further
- Assist in protecting residents of the building from dangerous toxic smoke
- Assist in reducing the risk of structural damage to the building
>>>More informations about this facade breather membran certified A2-s1,d0 at our webpage Stamisol Safe One
Copyright photos: Presence Switzerland