Buro Happold has been a trusted partner in the UAE’s development for decades, with established offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Our multidisciplinary teams have helped shape some of the region’s most iconic and forward-thinking projects, from sustainable masterplans to complex infrastructure and cultural landmarks.
The UAE serves as a strategic hub for our Middle East operations, enabling close collaboration with government entities, developers and global partners. Our work reflects the Emirates’ commitment to innovation, resilience and human-centric urbanism, values that continue to drive our approach to integrated design and consultancy.
First held at London’s Crystal Palace in 1853, the World Expo showcases innovations in culture, technology, healthcare and learning. This prestigious international event occurs every five years and, in recent times, lasts for approximately six months. The previous Expo, hosted by Milan, was the largest tourist attraction in the world for 2015.
Under the unifying motif of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 saw representatives from 192 countries come together in Dubai to address the most pressing challenges of our time. Over 24 million visitors attended the event during the six months that it was open to the public in 2021.
Extending from the 1,083-acre site’s central plaza, three unique districts are dedicated to the Expo’s core themes; sustainability, mobility and opportunity. Each of these districts features an inspirational pavilion that not only houses a range of exhibits but also embodies the pertinent theme. In close collaboration with Grimshaw, Buro Happold provided multidisciplinary engineering services for the Sustainability Pavilion.
The Museum of the Future symbolises both future progress and the regional design influence of Dubai with its use of modern materials, and Arabic poetry written by HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum which is represented in 3D on the facade surface. The quotations express his vision for the future of Dubai.
Occupying a prime urban location adjacent to the Emirates Towers, the Museum of the Future is conceived not as a repository for ancient artefacts, but as an incubator of new ideas, a catalyst for innovation, and a global destination for inventors and entrepreneurs.
Located in Sharjah, the UAE’s third most populous city, Bee’ah is the Middle East’s fastest growing environmental management company.
Dedicated to enabling an environmentally responsible future for the region, Bee’ah advocates revolutionary strategies for utilising renewable energy sources and setting benchmarks for sustainability. The organisation’s new headquarters needed to embody their ethos and vision, creating a home for their 6000 employees while facilitating the world leading activities taking place within its walls.
Buro Happold was invited by Zaha Hadid Architects to join them at the competition stage of the project, as part of a two-stage tender process. Formed to evoke the impression of intersecting sand dunes, the awe-inspiring building conceived by the world-renowned architects, features a sweeping curved exterior. By using our previous knowledge of geometrically complex buildings, such as Glasgow Museum of Transport in Scotland, and City of Dreams in Macau, we were able to apply our expertise to realise this striking long span structure.
