Engineering the UAE Climate Tech Environment at Abu Dhabi Energy Center

The inaugural UAE Climate Tech forum was held on 10–11 May 2023 at Abu Dhabi Energy Center. It was organised by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in partnership with ADNOC and Masdar.

Evolution Scenic was responsible for the complete scenic scope across the conference and exhibition environment. The project extended from the principal conference stage into the lobby, sponsor areas, exhibitor stands, interaction zones, registration points, breakout spaces and outdoor exhibition areas. More than 80 exhibitor stands formed part of the wider delivery, alongside sponsor booths, custom furniture and display units.

Because each space had a different function, the scenic system needed to accommodate several wall heights, flooring treatments, display configurations and graphic finishes while retaining a consistent project identity.

Evolution Technical supplied the LED screens and their supporting systems. Evolution Scenic delivered the scenic surrounds, fabricated structures, graphics, counters and specialist floor details required to integrate those technical components into the wider environment.

Building a Unified Conference and Exhibition System

The scenic package was developed as a sequence of connected environments. The main conference room established the primary architectural language through a large central display, curved side screens, illuminated floor lines and a stepped stage.

This language continued through the exhibition spaces using painted walling, printed graphics, LED skirting and integrated digital screens. Sponsor and exhibitor stands introduced reflective vinyl flooring with further LED strip details. These illuminated lines connected the stand floors visually with the stage steps and scenic outlines in the main room.

Outdoor stands used a related but simplified material combination of painted scenic walling, printed vinyl graphics, LED displays and exhibition carpet. Registration and breakout spaces were provided with custom reception counters using painted finishes. These counters supported the operational requirements of the venue while remaining visually connected to the wider scenic package.

The result was a temporary architectural system capable of changing scale and function without losing its material or visual continuity.

Constructing the Main Stage and Stepped Deck

The main stage measured 21.5 metres long, seven metres deep and 750 millimetres high. Its surface was finished in exhibition carpet, providing a consistent presentation area across the full stage footprint.

Stepped access was incorporated at the front and sides of the platform. LED strips followed the step profiles, making the changes in level visually clear and introducing illuminated lines into the stage architecture.

The LED detailing was also extended across selected floor lines. These routes helped define the stage perimeter and connected the main platform with the curved scenic structures positioned at each side. An illuminated lightbox logo was built into the front fascia. Rather than applying branding as a flat graphic, the lightbox created a three-dimensional feature with its own internal illumination.

The stage deck, step geometry, carpet, lighting channels and fascia needed to be developed as one assembly. LED positions had to be established before the visible floor finish was completed so that the lighting appeared integrated rather than surface-mounted.

Integrating the Main Screen and Curved Side Displays

The principal LED display was an existing screen measuring 18 metres wide and 7.5 metres high.

This fixed screen established the scale and centre line of the conference stage. The new scenic construction was coordinated around its position and dimensions. Curved LED displays were positioned on both sides of the central screen. Each screen measured four metres by 2.5 metres and was integrated into a scenic wall measuring four metres by 3.5 metres.

The scenic walls incorporated projecting returns. These returns enclosed the edges of the screen structures and helped connect the technical displays to the surrounding stage architecture.

Painted finishes and illuminated line details continued across the screen surrounds. This prevented the side displays from appearing as freestanding technical units disconnected from the main stage. Evolution Technical delivered the LED screens and supporting systems. Evolution Scenic coordinated the adjoining walls, returns, floor details and visible finishes.

This division of scope required accurate dimensional exchange between the scenic and technical teams. Screen supports, wall edges, floor lighting and stage geometry all needed to correspond before the final surfaces were completed.

Fabricating the Lobby Exhibition Environment

The lobby exhibition environment was developed around scenic walls reaching three metres in height, creating a consistent architectural framework across the exhibition area. The walls were finished in paint and printed vinyl graphics, allowing individual exhibitor identities to be introduced while maintaining a coordinated overall appearance. LED strips positioned along the skirting created a continuous illuminated base detail and helped visually connect the different wall sections throughout the lobby.

Digital displays were integrated directly into the scenic walls according to the individual stand designs. Their positions needed to be coordinated with the surrounding graphics, wall geometry, structural supports and visible panel joints so that the screens appeared as part of the scenic construction rather than as separate technical additions.

Curved wall sections were incorporated alongside the straighter exhibition elements, introducing changes in direction and helping shape movement through the lobby. This allowed the exhibition environment to avoid a repetitive linear booth layout while creating more varied sightlines between adjacent stands.

The combination of painted scenic surfaces, printed vinyl graphics, integrated digital displays and illuminated skirting gave each exhibitor a defined communication zone while preserving the shared architectural language of the wider UAE Climate Tech environment.

The completed lobby therefore functioned as both an exhibition setting and a coordinated scenic circulation space, with the wall geometry, digital content and lighting details working together as one temporary architectural system.

Delivering Sponsor and Exhibitor Stands

Sponsor stand walls reached 3.5 metres in height, giving the principal partners stronger visibility within the exhibition environment and creating a clear distinction from the surrounding lobby areas.

The stands used painted wall finishes, printed vinyl graphics and integrated LED screens according to the approved designs. LED strips were positioned at skirting level, continuing the illuminated detail established throughout the wider exhibition space. Reflective vinyl flooring introduced a distinctive finish within the sponsor and exhibitor areas. The surface reflected the surrounding screen content and lighting, adding visual depth while maintaining a clean and consistent scenic finish.

Additional LED strips were incorporated into the flooring. These illuminated lines were coordinated with wall positions, screen locations and circulation edges so that the lighting detail remained continuous across each stand. The combination of painted scenic walling, printed graphics, integrated displays and illuminated flooring allowed each sponsor and exhibitor environment to retain its own identity while remaining part of the overall UAE Climate Tech scenic language.

The repeated stand delivery also required consistent fabrication across multiple individual environments. Graphic positions, screen openings, skirting details and floor junctions were carefully controlled to maintain a uniform standard throughout the exhibition.

Developing the Interaction, Registration and Breakout Areas

The Gasha interaction area incorporated scenic walls at heights of 2.5 metres and three metres, creating a varied architectural profile within the space. Using two wall heights helped establish separation and visual hierarchy without relying on one continuous wall level throughout the environment. The interaction-area walling remained connected to the wider exhibition system through coordinated scenic finishes and integrated display positions.

Registration and breakout areas were fitted with custom reception counters finished in paint, providing dedicated points for arrival, information and operational support.

The counters were developed to sit naturally within the surrounding scenic environment. Their proportions and finishes were coordinated with the exhibition walling so that the functional furniture appeared as part of the overall fabrication package rather than as separately sourced equipment.

Together, the interaction walls and reception counters extended the same construction and finishing language used across the lobby and sponsor areas while responding to the different operational requirements of each space.

Extending the Scenic Package Outdoors

Outdoor exhibition stands formed part of Evolution Scenic’s complete project scope, extending the scenic language beyond the internal exhibition areas.

These structures used painted scenic finishes, printed vinyl graphics and integrated LED screens in accordance with the individual stand designs. The same attention to wall geometry, branding and display integration used indoors was carried through to the exterior environments.

Exhibition carpet was used for the outdoor flooring rather than the reflective vinyl specified within the interior sponsor and exhibitor areas. This created a practical distinction between the two settings while maintaining continuity with the carpeted main stage.

The outdoor stands required coordinated installation of scenic walling, digital displays, graphics and floor finishes so that each element aligned correctly within the completed structure. By carrying the same fabrication and finishing principles outdoors, Evolution Scenic maintained a consistent project identity across both the internal and external exhibition environments.

Coordinating Installation, Technical Delivery and Compliance

The complete fabrication and installation programme was carried out within the dates and working periods requested by the client. Evolution Scenic followed the client’s rules, regulations and site instructions throughout the project.

The installation required close coordination between the main stage, existing venue screen, new curved displays, exhibition walls, sponsor stands, registration counters, specialist flooring and graphic applications.

Evolution Technical installed the LED screens and their supporting systems, while Evolution Scenic delivered the surrounding scenic structures, wall finishes and flooring details. This required the scenic and technical teams to work within a coordinated installation sequence.

Screen supports and technical elements needed to be positioned before adjoining scenic finishes and floor interfaces were completed, helping maintain accurate alignment between the displays and surrounding fabrication.

All client-required project documentation and technical requirements were addressed, and the complete scenic package was delivered within the approved programme without delay or extension.

Completing the Project Without Programme Extension

Evolution Scenic completed the full scenic scope within the required client timeline. The finished conference room combined a 21.5-metre stage, exhibition-carpet finish, illuminated stepped decking, lightbox fascia branding, an 18-metre main display and two curved side-screen structures.

The exhibition areas extended the same design language through three-metre lobby walls, 3.5-metre sponsor structures, varied-height interaction walls and more than 80 exhibitor stands.

Painted scenic surfaces, printed vinyl graphics, LED skirting, embedded screens, reflective vinyl flooring and illuminated floor lines were coordinated across the individual environments. Outdoor stands, registration counters, custom display units and breakout features completed the wider scenic package.

The final result demonstrated Evolution Scenic’s capacity to manage conference scenery, exhibition fabrication, digital-screen integration, specialist flooring, graphics and multi-zone installation within one controlled delivery programme. The project was delivered without delay or programme extension.

Building A Festive Scenic Environment Across Expo 2020 Dubai

In December 2021, Expo 2020 Dubai became the setting for a substantial package of temporary Christmas scenery distributed across the site. Evolution Scenic delivered the scenic fabrication and installation required to create XMAS @ EXPO 2020, translating the festive concept into a series of large-scale scenic structures, themed environments and decorative features. The scope brought together custom fabrication, scenic construction and installation across multiple individual elements while maintaining a consistent visual language throughout the wider festive environment.

At the centre of the installation was a 20-metre Christmas tree, supported by eight custom festive chalets and 12 oversized nutcracker figures positioned throughout the seasonal setting. These large-format scenic elements established the scale of the environment and created recognisable architectural and character features across the site. Each component formed part of a coordinated scenic package designed to work collectively within the wider Expo 2020 Dubai surroundings rather than as isolated decorative pieces.

Evolution Scenic also delivered Santa’s House and the adjoining elf workshop, extending the project into more detailed themed interior environments. Animated workshop scenes, reindeer elements and additional scenic features were incorporated to support the wider festive activity zones and create a more layered visitor environment. Together, the architectural scenery, oversized props, themed interiors and seasonal decoration transformed multiple areas of Expo 2020 Dubai into a cohesive temporary Christmas environment built specifically for the festive programme.

Creating One Scenic Language Across Multiple Environments

The project was not centred on a single stage set or standalone scenic feature. Its physical scope extended across several parts of the Expo 2020 Dubai site, with each area requiring a different combination of temporary architecture, oversized props, decorative treatments and integrated lighting. Despite the variation in scale and function, the complete scenic package needed to read as one connected festive environment.

Evolution Scenic achieved this consistency by developing a recognisable visual language that could be repeated across different structures and installations. Steep chalet rooflines, gingerbread-style façades, striped confectionery details, oversized bows, gift boxes, baubles and artificial snow appeared throughout the project. Strong red, green and gold finishes reinforced the seasonal character and helped visually connect the larger architectural elements with smaller scenic details.

These recurring motifs linked the marketplace, Santa environments, central tree setting and supporting festive installations without requiring every scenic structure to follow the same form. Individual areas could retain their own function and identity while still belonging to the wider XMAS @ EXPO 2020 environment. The result was a coordinated scenic system in which architecture, props, decoration and finishes worked together to create continuity across a large and varied site.

Manufacturing Eight Custom Festive Chalets

The eight custom festive chalets formed the principal repeated architectural element within the wider installation. Unlike a single scenic prop, a group of related structures needs to maintain consistency across dimensions, profiles, trims and finishing details so that the complete set reads as one coordinated environment. This required a fabrication approach that treated the chalets as a repeatable scenic system rather than as eight unrelated builds.

The chalets also needed to function as temporary architecture within the Expo site. Each unit had to be manufactured as a complete scenic structure, prepared for transportation and installed as part of the wider festive environment. Their repeated forms created visual continuity across the marketplace while allowing individual chalet positions to contribute to the overall layout and rhythm of the space.

Rather than relying only on printed graphic treatments, the chalet façades were developed with layered scenic detailing to create greater depth and physical character. Steep roof edges, framed openings, confectionery-inspired motifs and applied seasonal decoration gave the structures a more dimensional, built quality. These details helped the chalets read as fabricated themed architecture rather than simple temporary kiosks dressed with graphics.

Fabricating Twelve Giant Nutcracker Figures

Twelve oversized nutcracker figures were produced as repeated scenic markers within the wider festive environment. Their strong vertical proportions allowed them to operate at an architectural scale rather than simply as decorative props, helping frame the central Christmas tree and define key seasonal areas across the Expo site. Repeating the figures in multiple locations also reinforced the shared visual language running through the complete installation.

Fabricating character props at this scale requires close control of proportion and symmetry. Features that appear balanced on a small object can become visually exaggerated when reproduced several times human height, making consistency across faces, uniforms, limbs and decorative components especially important. Each figure therefore needed to maintain a clear silhouette and balanced form while remaining legible from a distance within a large public setting.

The finished nutcrackers combined bold colour, strongly defined detailing and exaggerated traditional character features suited to the scale of the environment. Their repeated placement created recognisable visual anchors between the tree setting, marketplace and surrounding festive installations. As part of the broader scenic package, they helped connect the different areas through a consistent combination of scale, form and seasonal detailing.

Constructing Santa’s House And The Workshop Scenes

Santa’s House introduced a more detailed form of themed scenic construction within the wider festive installation. Its exterior used a gingerbread-house vocabulary, combining confectionery-style trims, decorative roof edges, candy-inspired forms and layered seasonal ornamentation. The result was a highly dimensional scenic structure designed to read as a complete themed environment rather than as a simple decorated façade.

The surrounding setting extended this visual language through oversized presents, decorative fencing, artificial snow treatments and supporting character elements. These components helped build depth around the main structure and created a stronger relationship between the architecture and the smaller scenic details positioned around it. Repeated colours, textures and decorative motifs ensured that the house remained visually connected to the wider XMAS @ EXPO 2020 environment.

Within the broader Santa setting, animated workshop scenes introduced movement and activity into the scenic environment. The architecture, oversized props, character figures and animated elements needed to work together so that the individual components appeared to belong to one coherent workshop world. This integration helped transform the area from a collection of separate scenic pieces into a complete themed environment with a clear visual identity.

Installing The 20-Metre Christmas Tree

The 20-metre Christmas tree established the principal vertical scale of the festive environment and became the dominant scenic feature within the wider installation. Evolution Scenic’s responsibility was focused on installation rather than fabrication, with the tree structure itself supplied by others. The task therefore centred on integrating the supplied structure safely and effectively into the Expo 2020 Dubai environment.

The installation process supported the progression from exposed structural framework to the completed festive centrepiece. Once the main tree structure was assembled in position, the installation incorporated the decorative treatment required to transform the framework into the finished scenic feature. This distinction between supplied structure and Evolution Scenic’s installation scope is important in accurately defining the company’s role within the project.

The project gallery records both stages of the process, showing the underlying framework before decoration and the fully dressed tree after completion. Together, these images demonstrate how a large supplied structure can be incorporated into a broader scenic environment through coordinated installation and decorative integration. The completed tree provided a strong visual anchor for the surrounding chalets, nutcracker figures and supporting festive scenery.

Extending The Scenic Environment

The wider scenic package used a series of supporting features to connect the principal installations and carry the festive identity across the Expo 2020 Dubai site. Visible elements included giant presents, decorative bauble clusters, reindeer and sleigh settings, a Letters to Santa postbox, tree-shaped sculptures, artificial snow-covered planting and gift-box seating. These smaller-scale elements helped fill the spaces between the larger architectural and character features, giving the environment a more continuous scenic presence.

Evolution Scenic also adapted the existing Opti-Robot by adding reindeer antlers, integrating a recognisable Expo feature into the wider Christmas treatment. This approach allowed the seasonal visual language to extend beyond purpose-built scenery and into existing site elements. The result was a broader layer of festive transformation that connected new scenic fabrication with the surrounding Expo environment.

Together, these supporting features helped distribute the scenic identity beyond Santa’s House and the central tree setting. Rather than concentrating all of the visual impact in one location, the project used repeated props, decorative forms and themed interventions to create continuity across multiple areas. This distributed approach strengthened the sense of one coordinated festive environment while allowing individual zones to retain their own character and function.

Integrating Lighting And Seasonal Decoration

Lighting formed an important part of the scenic presentation across the Expo 2020 Dubai site, helping the fabricated environments remain visually effective after dark. The central tree, snow-dressed tree groups, chalet settings and freestanding decorative features all needed to retain clear form and definition within the wider nighttime environment. Illumination therefore worked alongside the physical scenery rather than as a separate layer.

Integrated lighting picked out rooflines, edges, decorative details and surface treatments across the scenic structures. This helped preserve the depth and character of the fabricated elements once natural light had fallen, while allowing them to sit comfortably within the larger lighting environment of Expo 2020. The combination of structure, finish and illumination strengthened the legibility of the temporary architecture and sculptural features across the site.

Lighting also helped visually connect scenic elements positioned across different areas. Repeated warm illumination, decorated foliage and seasonal lighting treatments created continuity between the chalets, tree setting, Santa environments and smaller standalone installations. This consistency supported the wider objective of creating one coordinated festive scenic language across multiple parts of the Expo site.

Installing Within An Operational Venue

The installation programme was delivered while Expo 2020 Dubai remained operational, introducing an additional layer of coordination to the scenic build. Working hours and site activities had to be managed around the requirements of an active international venue, allowing fabrication elements to be delivered and installed without disrupting wider operations. This meant that installation planning needed to account for access, movement through the site and the sequencing of work across multiple scenic locations.

The live-site condition influenced more than the timing of the installation. Components had to be transported, unloaded, moved into position and assembled within an environment that continued to support other contractors, venue teams and ongoing public activity. Coordinated access and controlled work areas were therefore important to maintaining safe and efficient progress while the chalets, props, decorative structures and supporting scenic elements were installed across the site.

The project team has confirmed that all required HSSE procedures were followed throughout the delivery. Project-specific HSSE records have not been supplied, so individual procedures should not be presented as confirmed facts. For temporary scenic work of this scale within an operational venue, the normal delivery methodology would typically include controlled access, defined work zones, approved installation methods, electrical inspections and formal checks before final handover.

Delivering A Coordinated Temporary Environment

The completed XMAS @ EXPO 2020 environment brought together several different scenic disciplines within one coordinated site-wide installation. Repeated chalet fabrication established the temporary architectural framework, while oversized nutcracker figures, gift-box structures and other large scenic elements introduced scale and visual rhythm. Santa’s House and the workshop scenes added a more detailed layer of themed construction, combining architecture, props and animated elements within a single festive setting.

Lighting, decorative dressing and smaller scenic features connected these larger installations and helped maintain continuity across the wider Expo site. The 20-metre Christmas tree formed the principal centrepiece, while distributed scenic elements extended the festive identity into surrounding areas. This combination of large architectural features, oversized props, decorative interventions and illuminated elements allowed the environment to read as one complete scenic programme rather than a collection of unrelated installations.

The project demonstrates how Evolution Scenic approaches a large temporary environment as a coordinated manufacturing, installation and finishing exercise. Successful delivery depended on maintaining consistency across repeated components, controlling finish quality across different scenic forms and managing installation within a live operational venue. The result was a cohesive festive environment in which architecture, props, decoration and lighting worked together as one integrated scenic system.

Engineering A Telescopic Skyline For The UAE Golden Jubilee

The UAE’s Golden Jubilee production at Hatta Dam combined large-scale performance design with one of the country’s most dramatic natural settings. Designed by Es Devlin and produced by LarMac Live, the performance took place on a floating stage constructed within an artificial pool. The surrounding mountains formed part of the visual composition, framing the stage and amplifying the scale of the production.

Evolution Scenic was responsible for delivering one of its most ambitious scenic features: 100 illuminated telescopic replicas of iconic UAE buildings. Concealed within the central stage feature for most of the performance, the structures rose together in synchronisation during the climax, creating a luminous architectural skyline representing 50 years of national achievement and progress.

The reveal transformed the performance into a symbolic visual journey, as the skyline emerged from the stage to echo the nation’s rapid development. The coordinated lift system and integrated lighting design ensured a seamless transition from concealment to full illumination, reinforcing the narrative of growth and unity at the heart of the celebration.

Turning Architecture Into Moving Scenery

The scenic concept required recognisable building forms to function as compact, moving structures. Each replica had to preserve enough of the original building’s architectural identity to remain legible to the audience, while also operating as part of a telescopic mechanical system. As a result, the structures could not be designed as conventional static props; their external surfaces, internal frames, lighting systems, and moving tiers all needed to be developed as a single, integrated assembly.

Some of the buildings extended beyond six metres when fully raised, yet had to retract into concealed spaces as small as 1.2 metres by 20 centimetres. This extreme shift in scale demanded a carefully engineered approach in which form and mechanism were inseparable. The scenic elements were designed not only to represent architecture, but also to physically perform its transformation in real time.

To achieve this, a multi-tiered construction system was developed, with individual structures incorporating up to four telescopic sections. These layers divided the visible height into nested components that could collapse smoothly into one another beneath the stage. The result was a set of architectural forms capable of expanding and contracting seamlessly, maintaining visual clarity while enabling complex stage movement.

Controlling Movement Across One Hundred Structures

The buildings were driven by telescopic tower machines and guided by heavy-duty industrial tracks. These track systems controlled the vertical travel of the moving scenic tiers as each structure extended and retracted. Their purpose was to reduce unwanted movement and maintain consistent alignment throughout the sequence.

Accuracy was essential because every building formed part of a much larger architectural composition. Any structure that stopped at the wrong height, moved unevenly or twisted during travel would disrupt the visual rhythm of the skyline. The mechanical and scenic components therefore had to work together as a single controlled system.

The completed system needed to deliver repeatable movement across 100 separately fabricated units. Although each building had its own architectural proportions and tier arrangement, every structure had to reach its final position within the same programmed sequence. This required the movement of the individual units to remain coordinated with the collective transformation of the skyline.

Fabricating Illuminated Scenic Lightboxes

The architectural replicas were constructed as self-illuminated scenic lightboxes. Internal LED lighting gave each building a strong visual presence and reinforced its three-dimensional form. This was particularly important at Hatta Dam, where the structures needed to remain visually clear against the surrounding mountains, stage lighting and open night sky.

The illuminated surfaces allowed the buildings to read as architectural volumes rather than flat cut-outs. Each structure contained individually controlled LEDs, enabling its lighting to be managed as part of the wider scenic composition. All 100 buildings were patched into a single control circuit so the lighting team could create coordinated sequences across the entire skyline.

The lighting integration also had to remain compatible with the telescopic movement of the structures. Electrical connections and cable routes needed to accommodate the extension and retraction of the individual tiers. Every component had to move without obstructing the mechanical system or compromising the illuminated effect.

Working Within A Challenging Outdoor Environment

Hatta Dam provided an exceptional visual backdrop, but the location also introduced significant technical challenges. High winds and humidity were confirmed considerations for the moving scenic system. The tall, lightweight replicas needed to rise smoothly and remain visually stable once fully extended.

The telescopic mechanisms and heavy-duty industrial tracks also needed to operate reliably within the outdoor environment. This required the moving components to maintain their alignment throughout repeated extension and retraction. Their operation was fundamental to the timing and visual consistency of the complete skyline.

The floating stage and artificial pool added another layer of coordination to the installation. Each scenic structure had to integrate into a central stage feature with highly restricted concealed spaces and limited tolerance for dimensional variation. Successful operation therefore depended on the relationship between workshop accuracy, mechanical alignment, control integration and on-site testing.

Delivering The Performance Climax

During the climax of the Golden Jubilee performance, 100 illuminated structures rose together from the stage floor. The sequence transformed the central performance space into a three-dimensional architectural landscape.

The buildings represented the UAE’s growth over the previous 50 years. Through the coordinated use of movement, light and form, national development was translated into a physical scenic moment.

The final effect appeared visually simple: a complete skyline emerging seamlessly from the stage. Behind the reveal was a complex system of telescopic tiers, industrial tracks, lighting controls and individually fabricated scenic structures operating together within a compact concealed space.

Evolution Scenic’s role required scenic construction and technical engineering to be coordinated at a scale where every component contributed to the reliability of the complete installation. The finished telescopic skyline became the production’s defining visual climax and demonstrated Evolution Scenic’s capability in moving scenery, compact engineering and large-scale custom fabrication.