Czech pavilion for Expo could be designed by architecture students

Prague - The Czech pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai could be built according to the design of architecture students from the Czech Technical University (CTU). This is mentioned as one of the variants for the realization of the project in a report on the progress of preparations for the world exhibition, which the government is set to discuss on Wednesday. The main exhibit and the center of the pavilion will be a technology for producing water from air. The contract for the construction of the pavilion will be announced at the beginning of 2018, according to the document available to ČTK.

Companies from the Czech Republic, European Union, or the United Arab Emirates will be able to participate in the competition for the construction of the Czech pavilion. "However, a condition will be that the architectural solution takes into account the fact that it is a representative building of the Czech Republic," the report from the Office of the General Commissioner (OGC), which is managing preparations for Expo 2020, states. "In this context, the OGC will allow architecture students from CTU to offer their designs developed during the winter semester of 2017 to foreign candidates," the document continues.

In addition to a unique system that produces water from air using photovoltaic energy, the pavilion will also feature an interactive installation of Czech designer glass. This will be prepared by the company LASVIT, which has a permanent representation at the exhibition site. It is anticipated that it would fill an area of up to 200 square meters. The national exhibition in Dubai will also present the Czech spa tradition. Every two weeks, different exhibitors will alternate in the pavilion.

The total budget for the Czech Republic's participation in the world exhibition is expected to be between 250 and 310 million crowns for the period from 2017 to 2021. The state contribution amounts to 160 million crowns. Another 69 million crowns will be provided by the OGC from surpluses from previous world exhibitions. The third part of the budget comes from contributions from partners. The report anticipates that these will range between 21 and 80 million crowns.

In the conclusion of the report, the OGC states that investment offers from private partners already significantly exceed the necessary contributions. According to expectations, the largest potential partners may, in addition to the aforementioned company LASVIT, also include Karlovy Vary Mineral Waters, Gallery Kroupa, or the owner of Pilsner Urquell, Asahi Breweries Europe.