Expo 2020 Dubai necessitated rising to many challenges.
submitted by Schindler
photos courtesy of Schindler
Dubai Expo 2020 kicked off a year later than originally planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As much of the world went into lockdown, the six-month-long in-person mega-event served, in contrast, as a standing display of hope and innovation. We are proud to have contributed to its success. Over the three years of project execution, we recorded zero construction accidents, fulfilled promises to 11 major pavilions and received an official letter of appreciation. Additionally, we helped the Swiss pavilion receive the Best Medium-Sized Pavilion Award. In short, our expertise was on full display on the world stage.
Construction on the all-new, 45,000-m2 Dubai Exhibition Centre, housing the 11 pavilions, completed in 2021. The venue and its pavilions were served by 83 elevators traveling a height of up to 25 m and 43 escalators with maximum travel speed of 0.5 m/s. Innovations employed included Schindler Digital Media Services, Schindler CleanMobility Solutions and the Linea 800 SmartTouch car operating panel (COP).
During a time of uncertainty, the Schindler team successfully navigated complex safety, security and logistics regulations to deliver custom solutions. A master trainer from Schindler’s Switzerland headquarters was on-site to supervise the entire process.
Project Highlights
To say Dubai Expo was a challenging project is an understatement. We provided 129 units of equipment for 11 large pavilions and took over the maintenance contracts of more than 50 third-party vertical-transportation solutions providers. Overseeing several large projects simultaneously under tight security conditions was never going to be easy, but our project manager, Mohammed Iqbal, took up the challenge. His work involved, among other things, liaising with more than 50 stakeholders to keep work moving forward.
The expo grounds spanned approximately 5 million m2 divided among 190 pavilions. The expo had its own delivery management system to regulate the flow of vehicles entering and exiting the site. Each freight delivery was assigned an only 30-min window to enter the grounds, but coordinating this task alone could take an entire day. Local regulations, like the compulsory midday break during the summer to avoid exposure to high temperatures, forced us to coordinate among different teams spread across the expo site. This further complicated the task.
To stay on schedule, meet our customers’ demands and take good care of our workers, we stationed a dedicated logistics team on-site and assigned two project managers to the first phase of the project. “It was like orchestrating a symphony every day,” Iqbal said. “Challenging, of course, but we didn’t miss a note.”
Stamina in a Time of Uncertainty
In March 2020, the first COVID-positive case appeared on-site, leading to days of shutdown and a string of new rules and regulations. A few months later, in September 2020, a few civil contractors involved in the construction of the Dubai Expo filed for bankruptcy. These challenges failed to discourage our crew, who were quick to adapt to the new rules and forge ahead. Their attitude proved to be the right one: Within a few weeks, new contractors had taken over the construction contracts.
Another challenge came from the products our teams were required to install. Many of these innovations were so cutting-edge that our teams had never laid their hands on them before. Fortunately, the team could count on the support of our headquarters. Our installation master trainer, Subhish Subran, spent two weeks in Switzerland learning from top experts before heading to the expo to pass along his newly acquired knowledge and supervise the work.
Along the way, our teams had to overcome other hurdles, some more tech-intensive than others. For example, a new, custom 65-in. Schindler Ahead AdScreen — a mirror doubling as a TV screen — was to be installed in an elevator car. The only problem: It was too tall to fit through the elevator car doors. To avoid damaging the product, the team removed the car doors before inching the screen in bit by bit and securing it into place on the car wall. The process took an entire day.
Each pavilion sought to provide a unique experience to its visitors. Run-of-the-mill products wouldn’t cut it. Many of our products were tailored to the unique pavilions they served. Switzerland requested escalator handrails engraved with snowflakes. India wanted its passenger elevators to revel in the views of the Taj Mahal at sunset. Belgium had envisioned an escalator encased in a tunnel of light, as if to propel riders toward the future. We came through each time.
Demanding Fulfillment Requirements
Among the customized solutions we engineered, two stood out: the white-themed, full-glass car interior designed for the U.A.E. pavilion and the black-themed full-glass car for the Mobility pavilion. They perfectly matched the aesthetics of the pavilions while providing a unique user experience.
The work required grit, careful planning and agility. Take, for example, the white elevator car for the U.A.E. pavilion. Our customers had wanted to try different combinations of materials, which would have meant working with several international suppliers — something that proved extremely challenging amid acute international shipping delays. We were quick to pivot. We sourced local suppliers, tested various design possibilities and developed a prototype that we thought best captured our client’s vision. When pavilion stakeholders came to examine the car, it meshed perfectly with their vision.
Three months before the grand opening, all expo premises underwent a thorough security sweep. For us, it meant giving the Dubai police access to all our equipment, including elevator shafts, at any time of the day or night.
All our equipment was operational a month before official opening. “As some pavilions were scrambling to be ready on time, all our elevators were fully ready for operation and waiting to serve visitors from around the world,” Iqbal observed.
It was like orchestrating a symphony every day.
— Schindler Project Manager Mohammed Iqbal
Maintenance Is Crucial
When visitors came, they came in throngs. At the Swiss pavilion, 500 visitors on average used our elevators each day. Given the heavy foot traffic, our equipment required prompt maintenance if any problems surfaced.
Rajeshkumar Sekar, Schindler Service Sales leader, led a dedicated team of three technicians to maintain more than 120 on-site units. Our team could reach all our units within 20 min for emergency cases and ensure normal operation within 1 h. “Fast response is great; fast resolution, however, demands more than boots on the ground,” Sekar said. “It requires up-to-date, in-depth insight into our equipment.” That’s where the Schindler Ahead Cube came in.
Schindler Ahead Cube makes our equipment smart and connected. It collects and relays data from the controller and sensors installed on the equipment to the Internet of Elevators & Escalators, or IoEE, cloud. Schindler technicians who get real-time notifications are able to analyze the data to determine if any action needs to be taken to avoid service interruption. In the event of an unplanned shutdown, our technicians know before reaching the site what the matter is and which tools to bring to solve the problem quickly.
Our installation master trainer, Subhish Subran, spent two weeks in Switzerland learning from top experts before heading to the expo to pass along his newly acquired knowledge and supervise the work.
With advanced technology and timely support from our service team, our equipment didn’t disappoint. During the 180 days of the expo, we received lots of praise from clients from around the world.
Umar Farook, U.A.E. Pavilion facilities manager-FM hard services, said:
“The Schindler maintenance team was very supportive during the expo. Even during a period of crisis, the team acted proficiently and resolved issues on time. I thank them for their hard work and wish them the best of luck.”
Muhammad Amir, site manager of ALEC Engineering and Contracting, LLC, Mobility pavilion, praised Schindler’s commitment to safety, quality and deadlines despite challenges, while Hemanth Ajith of AQ/QC, manager of the World Expo Department of Pico International LLC said the Schindler team enabled “smooth operation of the U.K. Pavilion without any hassles.”
The first World Expo to be organized in the Middle East — Expo 2020 Dubai — concluded in March 2022. Schindler is proud to have been a part of it.
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