DUBAÏ’S 2020 WORLD EXPO STATION
DUBAI’S
AN EXTENSION OF THE RED METRO LINE
WITH 7 NEW STATIONS
AREP Communication
Press contact : Dominique du Jonchay - +33 (0)6 16 17 11 14 - [email protected]
Communication contact : AREP - Judith Thépot - +33 (0)6 17 29 55 50 - [email protected]
www.arepgroup.com
7 NEW STATIONS FOR DUBAÏ’S 2020 WORLD EXPO
The context
Built on a long stretch of land between the desert and the ocean,
Dubaï was chosen to host the 2020 World Expo, which, under the
theme «Connecting minds, Creating the future», is expected to
attract 25 million visitors. The Red Line already comprises
40 stations, developed between 2000 and 2009 by the Road and
Transport Authority (RTA). It will be extended by 14.5 km, with
seven new stations to be delivered by 2019. The project is divided
into a 10.5km viaduct section and a 4km long tunnel section. The
Red Line links together the airport, the historic centre and the
industrial port. The extension will eventually serve the new
Al Makhtoum International Airport, towards Abu Dhabi.
The new stations are of four different types and respond to different
contexts:
- a transfer station connecting to the existing line;
- three elevated stations on viaduct located in districts with low
population density;
- two underground stations located in a new district under
development;
- and, finally, the high-profile station of the 2020 World Expo site,
iconic station of the whole project.
Our tasks
The Road and Transport Authority selected AREP jointly with Parsons
and Systra, both engineering consultancies, to carry out the urban
integration and design and to prepare the call for bids.
Our vision of station architecture involves taking into account the
identity of the Red Line while adopting a more contemporary
approach for its extension. Before the study, we carried out an
assessment of the existing stations and the feedback we got helped
us elaborate various optimization scenarios drawing on the operational
experience and the analysis of current dysfunctions.
One of Dubaï’s distinctive features is the extreme climate conditions
on the Persian Gulf, which require special architectural design, sun
shading, choice of appropriate materials, air control strategies and
air-conditioned connections between the various modes of transport.
Both the assessment and the subsequent optimization study of
the Red Line stations helped us identify the three main designrelated challenges:
- fluidity and comfort of circulation routes;
- air-conditioning and maintenance principles;
- signage and retail facilities integrated with the built design.
Methodology
AREP worked hand in hand with Terao, an engineering firm specializing
in environment and thermal comfort, to implement operational
patterns and obtain LEED certification. Our tasks also include
structural and fluid mechanics studies, circulations, signing,
advertising as well as the setting-up of retail outlets, which are
integrated with the built design and are being developed in partnership
with AREP Design.
DUBAI’S 2020 WORLD EXPO STATION - an extension of the red metro line with 7 new stations
January 2017
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7 NEW STATIONS FOR DUBAI’S 2020 WORLD EXPO
The 2020 World Expo iconic station
The 2020 World Expo station lies in the heart of a master plan
developed by the Bureau of Exhibitions. The site is built in the desert
south of Dubaï and forms part of the city. It will host pavilions from
nations across the globe but also housing districts, a shopping centre,
sports facilities and later on a conference centre. Travellers coming
from the centre of Dubaï will be able to access the site rapidly and
directly. The station on the Expo site must be able to respond to
fluctuating numbers of visitors depending on the events, but also
to meet two different types of requirements: copy with 18,000 people
per hour during the six-month World Expo then with less important
flows corresponding to a normal use of the station.
Unlike other stations on the line, it incorporates a third rail track to
deal with any operational problems that might occur on the main
tracks during the World Expo.
As it is an elevated station, it releases all the necessary space
required for road infrastructure relating to the Expo as well as for
the technical premises relating to the operation of the station. Its
elevated main platform is served by a system of ramps providing
large space for walking and designed to accommodate dense
passenger flows arriving simultaneously.
Alongside operational requirements, the World Expo station needs
to be an iconic building in the eyes of its visitors. The Road and
Transport Authority chose among the various sketches the
one that seduced them by its concept. The canopy roof of the
station forms two protective, outstretched wings soaring above
the tracks. It alludes to the memory of Abbas Ibn Firnas, a Berber
scientist and poet, who, in the ninth century, attempted to fly
from a tower in Cordoba using a machine comprised of a pair
of wooden wings. His adventure is now part of the Arab culture.
The transfer station
Several scenarios have been considered to transform the current
Nakheel Harbour and Towers station. Finally, it will be partially
dismantled to give way to a new station, more suited to accommodate
transfer functions and two additional platforms. Only the railway
viaduct and most of the technical premises will be preserved. The
station should nevertheless convey the architectural statement of
the existing sections of the line: the Road and Transport Authority
aspires to preserve the visual unity on Sheikh Zayed Road, along
which the Red Line runs. The roof envelope shelters the elevated
platforms, which can be accessed by air-conditioned passageways
spanning the road infrastructure on each side of the station and
leading north to a large car park and south to a small volume acting
as an entrance to the station. The central platform allows for
transfers from one platform to another while the rest of the
interconnections radiate from a large mezzanine level under the
south platforms, which also houses ticketing facilities, services
and retail outlets on its north side. The lower level features a vast
concourse surrounded by retail stands and a ticket office. Most of
the travellers arrive by car, bus or taxi as the station is located in
a less densely urbanized area.
DUBAI’S 2020 WORLD EXPO STATION - an extension of the red metro line with 7 new stations
January 2017
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7 NEW STATIONS FOR DUBAI’S 2020 WORLD EXPO
The elevated stations
The Road and Transport Authority retained the concept of reinterpreting in a contemporary and optimal manner the design of the
existing stations. The three elevated stations of the project share
the same typology: the rail tracks are raised 16 metres above ground
level and both of the central tracks are each served by a side
platform. The transfer area and the main concourse, which houses
ticket offices and shops, are located beneath the platforms, nine
metres above ground level. This level connects to the passageways
accessed by «entrance pods» situated on each side of the street.
«Entrance pods» are smaller ancillary buildings, which act as waiting
areas for buses and taxis and give access to the station.
The slender form of the roof adds dynamism to the building envelope
by giving the whole structure an appearance of lightness and
emphasizing the longitudinal direction of the movements.
The underground stations
Both of the underground stations are designed according to the
same operational patterns. «Golf Estate» will serve a future real
estate development project featuring a shopping centre while
«Dubaï Investment Park» will serve an office and housing
development. Two main reasons justify the choice of underground
stations: avoid conflicts at the road junctions nearby and use the
above-ground site for an office development. The stations are
accessed at ground level by «pods» located on the sides of the
main buildings. They connect to the underground concourse level,
which houses shops, ticket offices and vertical circulations.
The intermediate mezzanine level allows views enabling passengers
to anticipate their movements before accessing the lower
platform level. The project favours natural light and seeks to bring
it deep down into the lower levels. A large rift of light goes
down from the upper level to the platforms situated several tens
of metres below. Wide, double-height circulations provide passengers
with a sense of space and legible spaces.
Schedule:
Opening of the line in 2019, six months before the World Expo
(run-in period)
Client:
Road and Transport Authority
Project management:
AREP Ville (architectural study), Parsons, Systra (infrastructure
study), Terao
Delivery:
2019
DUBAI’S 2020 WORLD EXPO STATION - an extension of the red metro line with 7 new stations
January 2017
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Gare de l’Exposition Universelle 2020, Dubaï - plan masse
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DUBAI’S 2020 WORLD EXPO STATION - an extension of the red metro line with 7 new stations
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January 2017
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DUBAI’S 2020 WORLD EXPO STATION - an extension of the red metro line with 7 new stations
January 2017
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January 2017
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