IRAQI PAVILION IN EXPO 2020 Lana Abubakr Ali

DUBAI
 RAYA ANIA
Multidisciplinary Architect and Urban
Designer with more than 25 years of
professional experience having worked in
Baghdad, Boston, Dubai, Germany, and New
York City for various architectural firms
including her own practice, RAW-NYC.

 In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, she

was named one of the top most powerful
and influential architects in the Middle
East
In 2016, she was selected as one of five inspiring and powerful
personalities in the world by Black Tomato travel and Cadillac and
she represented the MENA region.

In the same year, she was shortlisted from a list of 43 leading
women architects in New York to enter an international design
competition to convert a women's prison to an International Hub
for Women's Empowerment in Manhattan.
 Iraqi pavilion Design
 When talking about Iraq, many images come to
mind, images of words such as ‘civilization,’
‘prosperity,’ ‘long life,’ and ‘riches.’
 Therefore, pointed out some features: the oldest map
in history, dating back to the Babylonian period, the
invention of the distinctive irrigation system, and the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
 The first code written on Earth–the Code of Ur-
Nammu–which was then followed by the Code of
Hammurabi.
 Iraqi farmers were the first to invent, develop,
and use the plow, the wheel, and the chariot for
agricultural purposes.
IRAQI PAVILION
LOCATION IN THE
EXPO 2020 DUBAI
MASTER PLAN
three design concepts designed by RAW-NYC for
Iraq Pavilion at EXPO 2020 Dubai.
1- Al Saliya
“traditional fishing net, a symbol of wealth, wisdom
and goodness in Mesopotamian culture”
The main theme of Expo 2020 is “Connecting Minds,
Creating the Future” So “Opportunity” is one of the
subthemes of Expo 2020.
The design concept of the Iraq Pavilion reflects on
opportunity and its importance to create new
beginnings and build a future
To create the enclosure of the
pavilion, the shell structure was
designed and inspired by the
fishing net as a method of
catching fish.

The shell structure was designed

in the form of the net casting
technique as if the organic
flowing nature of the shell is
catching future opportunities for
a new Iraq in a global
development context.
To reflect on sustainability and the
importance of daylight in
architectural spaces, the design of the
shell allows natural light into the
pavilion through the net openings.
 2- STORIES OF LIGHT
The walls (digital screens) that
surround the space are the active
design elements that catch the
visitors’ attention and imagination.
The pavilion’s walls present stories
that reflect the evolution of
storytelling from the cave art period
up to social media.
3- THE COLORS OF IRAQ
Believing that equal opportunities for all is critical for the future of Iraq
regardless of the various ethnicities and beliefs, diversity, equality, and
unity mainly inspired the design concept of this pavilion.

These major aspects were represented by the simplicity, symmetry, and

pluralism of the Cube.
THANKS