Qudwa–PISA Forum Scenic Fabrication at Expo 2020 Dubai
Building a Modular Forum Environment at Expo 2020 Dubai
The Qudwa–PISA Global Competence Forum took place at Expo 2020 Dubai on 19 February 2022. Developed around the theme Preparing Students to Live in an Interconnected World, the forum was delivered in collaboration with the OECD and the Bussola Institute.
Evolution Scenic was responsible for developing and delivering the physical scenic environment. The scope extended well beyond the main presentation area and included the stage deck, screen structures, Media Hub installation, partitions, branded backdrops, illuminated totems and plinths, signage, wayfinding and lounge elements.
Each part of the environment performed a different function, but the complete installation needed to operate as one coordinated piece of temporary architecture. This required the stage, technical displays, exhibition structures, branding and supporting elements to share a consistent architectural and graphic language throughout the forum.
Developing the Scenic Concept
Evolution Scenic developed the scenic design rather than working solely from a completed third-party production package. This allowed the visual concept, fabrication methodology, material choices and installation requirements to be considered together from the beginning of the project.
The forum identity was translated into a combination of solid scenic surfaces, framed technical displays, illuminated vertical elements and areas of coloured transparency. The main stage established the strongest architectural expression, with the same visual principles subsequently carried into the Media Hub, partitions, branded structures and wayfinding elements.
Maintaining this continuity was particularly important because the forum contained several distinct functional areas. Consistent proportions, framing, materials and graphics allowed each zone to retain its own purpose while still reading as part of the same temporary environment.
Constructing the Main Stage
The main stage and stage deck formed the central scenic structure within the forum. Evolution Scenic fabricated the physical stage environment, including the deck, surrounding scenic architecture and the metalwork required to integrate the LED screens supplied by Evolution Technical.
MDF, plywood and timber framing formed part of the confirmed material palette. These materials provided adaptable scenic surfaces that could be produced in modular sections and finished with the required graphics and decorative treatments, while metal framing provided additional structural support around the technical display systems.
The screens were treated as integral parts of the stage composition rather than freestanding pieces of equipment. Their positions influenced the proportions of the surrounding architecture, while the fabricated scenic elements established the visual boundaries that connected the displays to the wider stage.
The stage also needed to support practical technical operation. Scenic surrounds were therefore developed around the physical requirements of the screens and their supporting systems, allowing the visible architecture and technical installation to work together as one coordinated environment.
Integrating the LED Systems
Evolution Technical supplied the LED screen systems used within the main stage. Evolution Scenic fabricated the metal structures and scenic surrounds that incorporated those displays into the architecture of the presentation environment.
This required accurate coordination between the dimensions of the technical equipment and the fabricated scenic components. Screen position influenced the spacing, alignment and overall geometry of the surrounding structures, while the scenic architecture determined how the technical equipment was visually framed from the audience position.
The resulting stage combined two connected disciplines. Evolution Scenic created the physical architecture, while Evolution Technical delivered the display systems operating within it, allowing structural, scenic and technical elements to appear as parts of one resolved composition.
The same collaborative approach extended beyond the main auditorium into the Media Hub, where fabricated frames, graphics and technical displays again needed to operate within a shared architectural system.
Fabricating the Media Hub
The Media Hub was developed as a freestanding scenic feature within the wider forum environment. Evolution Scenic fabricated metal-framed panels incorporating coloured transparent sheet and printed graphics, creating a distinct secondary zone without requiring permanent modification to the Expo venue.
The metal frames established the geometry and structural definition of the feature, while the transparent coloured materials introduced layering and visual depth. Unlike solid scenic walls, these surfaces allowed parts of the surrounding environment and structural framing to remain visible, creating a lighter architectural treatment.
Printed graphics were incorporated within the framed composition to connect the Media Hub visually with the wider Qudwa–PISA identity. The relationship between structural frames, transparent panels and graphic surfaces allowed the installation to remain distinctive without feeling disconnected from the main stage environment.
Evolution Technical supplied the display equipment incorporated into the Media Hub. The scenic framing was therefore developed around the technical components so that screens, coloured materials and printed graphics aligned as one coordinated installation.
Producing Partitions and Branded Backdrops
Custom partitions and branded backdrops were fabricated to define different areas throughout the forum. These elements functioned as temporary spatial architecture, providing visual separation, branded surfaces and controlled backgrounds without becoming permanent interventions within the Expo venue.
The confirmed construction palette included MDF, plywood, timber framing, metal framing, acrylic, printed fabric and vinyl graphics. Timber-framed panel construction allowed the larger elements to be manufactured as modular sections, while MDF and plywood provided smooth surfaces suitable for consistent graphic and decorative finishes.
Metal framing was incorporated where freestanding structures required additional support or where the construction needed to relate visually to the screen surrounds and Media Hub. This created continuity between the heavier scenic walling and the lighter framed structures positioned elsewhere within the environment.
Together, the partitions and backdrops extended the architectural language beyond the main stage. They helped organise the venue spatially while providing a consistent physical framework for branding, interpretation and circulation.
Branded Totems, Plinths, Signage and Reception Counters
Evolution Scenic fabricated MDF totems and plinths finished with vinyl graphics to create smaller branded focal points throughout the forum. These elements extended the visual identity into areas where a full scenic wall or large architectural installation was unnecessary.
Reception counters, signage and wayfinding used the same coordinated approach to graphics, proportions and finishes. Their scale was smaller than the principal scenic structures, but their positioning and appearance were important to maintaining continuity through the visitor journey.
The freestanding nature of these elements allowed them to be placed according to the practical needs of each area while remaining visually connected to the wider environment. Their finishes and graphic treatment ensured that supporting functions such as reception, information and navigation became part of the overall scenic language.
By carrying the design into these smaller components, the temporary architecture extended beyond the main visual moments. The complete forum environment could therefore maintain a consistent identity from the principal stage through to the supporting circulation and reception areas.
Creating Lounge and Seating Areas
Evolution Scenic fabricated MDF totems and plinths finished with vinyl graphics to create smaller branded focal points throughout the forum. These elements extended the visual identity into areas where a full scenic wall or large architectural installation was unnecessary.
Reception counters, signage and wayfinding used the same coordinated approach to graphics, proportions and finishes. Their scale was smaller than the principal scenic structures, but their positioning and appearance were important to maintaining continuity through the visitor journey.
The freestanding nature of these elements allowed them to be placed according to the practical needs of each area while remaining visually connected to the wider environment. Their finishes and graphic treatment ensured that supporting functions such as reception, information and navigation became part of the overall scenic language.
By carrying the design into these smaller components, the temporary architecture extended beyond the main visual moments. The complete forum environment could therefore maintain a consistent identity from the principal stage through to the supporting circulation and reception areas.
Coordinating Externally Supplied Banners
Tall floor-supported graphic banners were produced by an external specialist supplier and incorporated into the wider forum layout. Evolution Scenic coordinated these elements alongside its fabricated stage, partitions, framed displays and branded structures.
Maintaining a clear distinction between packages was important. The banners formed part of the final visual environment but were not manufactured by Evolution Scenic, while the surrounding scenic architecture and fabricated elements remained within Evolution Scenic’s direct production scope.
The positioning of the banners still needed to respond to the scale and layout of the scenic installation. Their graphic presence contributed to the wider visual identity and therefore needed to sit comfortably alongside the dimensional structures, screens and branded surfaces developed elsewhere in the venue.
Large temporary environments frequently involve several specialist contractors working together. The Qudwa–PISA environment demonstrates how externally supplied elements can be incorporated into a coordinated scenic scheme while retaining clear responsibility for individual fabrication packages.
Modular Workshop Fabrication
The complete scenic environment was produced in modular sections, allowing the main stage structures, framed panels, partitions and backdrops to be manufactured away from the venue under controlled workshop conditions.
Modular construction made the larger elements more manageable for transportation and load-in. Instead of moving complete full-scale structures, the fabrication team could prepare controlled sections that were transported separately and assembled in their final positions at Expo 2020 Dubai.
This approach placed particular importance on workshop accuracy. Connections needed to align consistently, framed structures had to remain square and graphic surfaces needed to meet cleanly once individual modules were joined together on site.
The stage surrounds also had to correspond accurately with the dimensions and positions of the technical displays. Completing this coordination during fabrication reduced the amount of adjustment required within the venue and supported a more controlled installation process.
Completing the Two-Day Installation
The complete on-site scenic installation was delivered over two days. Modular construction and detailed workshop preparation allowed a substantial proportion of the physical production to be completed before the scenic package arrived at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The stage deck and modular scenic sections were assembled before the fabricated surrounds were coordinated with the LED screens supplied by Evolution Technical. The relationship between the screens and scenic architecture could then be checked as the primary presentation environment came together.
The Media Hub was installed as a separate scenic feature, combining its metal frames, coloured transparent panels, printed graphics and technical displays. Partitions, branded backdrops, illuminated totems, plinths, reception elements, signage, wayfinding and lounge structures were positioned across the wider forum environment.
Externally supplied graphic banners were also incorporated into the final layout. Delivering multiple zones within the two-day installation required a controlled sequence so that structural assembly, technical installation, graphics and final scenic finishing could progress efficiently alongside one another.
Creating a Unified Temporary Environment
The completed Qudwa–PISA Global Competence Forum brought scenic fabrication, technical integration and temporary architecture together within one coordinated environment. The main stage combined a modular deck, fabricated scenic structures, metal screen surrounds and LED displays to create the principal presentation setting.
The Media Hub introduced a different architectural character through freestanding metal frames, coloured transparent materials, printed graphics and integrated technical displays. Partitions and backdrops established the surrounding spatial structure, while illuminated totems, plinths, signage and wayfinding extended the visual identity throughout the venue.
Lounge and reception elements brought the same design approach into the functional areas supporting the main programme. Externally supplied banners were coordinated within the overall layout, allowing specialist packages to contribute to the completed environment without blurring responsibility for their manufacture.
Following the forum, the installation was dismantled. From initial scenic development through workshop fabrication, technical coordination, two-day installation and final removal, the project demonstrates the operational value of connecting scenic and technical disciplines within one temporary architectural system. Evolution Scenic produced the physical environment while Evolution Technical supplied the integrated LED and Media Hub systems, with both disciplines coordinated as parts of the same finished space.
