Award-winning British set designer Es Devlin has been chosen to create the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, with a performance structure that will use artificial intelligence to write poetry. Called the “Poem Pavilion”, the structure is characterized by an illuminated “message to space”, composed of numerous poems generated by artificial intelligence, to which the 25 million visitors expected for the Expo will be invited to contribute. The 20-metre-high, cone-shaped pavilion is made up of rows of protruding laminated wood slats that extend outwards from a central point to form a circular façade. The poems, illuminated by LEDs, run along the façade.

The challenge: Obtain a cycle that allows the beauty of the wood to be seen as much as possible, but at the same time provides protection from UV rays and fire.

The solution: Offer a cycle composed of a base of Aquaprofi Lasur FK light ivory color impregnating agent, which limits the decomposition of the lignin due to UV rays and at the same time uniforms the yellowing of the wood over time and the subsequent application of a protective cycle from fire certified in class Bs1d0 according to European standard EN 13501 – 1 and approved in the UAE. The fire retardant cycle chosen was Amonn Amotherm Wood 450 SB* with outdoor catalyst, a cycle that has been tested and used in the UAE for decades. The same cycle was also used for indoor environments, using however Amonn Amotherm Wood 540 SB* certified in class Bfl-s1 according to EN 13501 – 1 for the floor elements.

_{Photography: Alin Constantin
Image courtesy of Es Devlin}