Innovative solar design practice Marjan van Aubel Studio has added colorful and transparent solar panels to the Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai which opened to the public on 1 October, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 

Marjan van Aubel added a strip of organic solar panels to the roof of the Dutch Biotope, also known as the Netherlands Pavilion, designed by V8 Architects to power the pavilion and receive abundant sunlight to the interior. 

Situated in the Sustainability District, the Netherlands Pavilion is colored and lighted with the rays of colored light that creates its own form and warmness for its visitors. 

An immersive skylight welcomes its visitors while emphasizing sustainability, technology and a unique aesthetic. 

The solar panels are made out of lightweight organic transparent solar cells (OPV), are circular and of non-toxic materials. By combining technology, aesthetics and sustainable materials, the studio has created the solar panels of the future.

The Dutch Biotope has a temporary circular climate system where water, energy and food solutions are connected, so the colorful solar panels support this vision in a micro-scale while bringing a new aesthetic to the pavilion.

"It shows how the three sectors can be linked to develop specialised integrated solutions and thereby create a more sustainable world," stated Marjan van Aubel Studio. 

The unique solar panels collect energy from Dubai’s sun rays to power the pavilion. 

The colored organic photovoltaics ASCA® OPV were manufactured with a third-generation solar technology by Armor Asca and were printed on thin foils and produced in a sustainable manner. 

Image © The Netherlands Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai

The solar panels allow sunlight into the pavilion and filter the right spectrum of light which the edible plants on the food cone use for photosynthesis.

The Netherlands Pavilion was also named the winner of the “Sustainable Construction Project of the Year” award, together with Expomobilia, V8 Architects, Dutch Dubai.

Image © Joepvan Lieshout

Marjan van Aubel is a Dutch award-winning solar designer who seamlessly integrates solar power into our environments such as in buildings and objects. 

Van Aubel's most notable works are ‘Current Table’ and ‘Power Plant’; she also recently launched her first solar design product, ‘Sunne’ - a solar light that mimics the sun. 

Image © The Netherlands Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai

Her work is part of permanent collections of museums such as MoMA New York, the V&A London and Boijmans van Beuningen in the Netherlands, to name but a few.

Expo 2020 Dubai has opened on 1 October, 2021 and will be on view until 31 March 2022 in Dubai. 

You can see WAC's comprehensive coverage about other pavilions on WAC's United Arab Emirates Country Page.  

All images © BuroBelén unless otherwise stated. 

> via Marjan van Aubel Studio