The organising committee for the UK’s presence at Expo 2020 Dubai on Thursday announced the panel of experts that will decide the winning design for the UK pavilion.
From architects to artists, the 11 members are looking for a design concept that will create the "most original, inspiring and memorable visitor experience possible", a statement said.
Dame Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, Amanda Levete CBE, founder and principal of AL_A, UK Space Agency director Rebecca Evernden and artist Idris Khan OBE are among the panel members.
The statement added that in addition to creating a stand out pavilion, UK businesses are winning a significant amount of Expo 2020 related contracts, exceeding £1.3 billion ($1.69 billion) to date.
The theme of the UK Pavilion will be ‘Innovating for a Shared Future’ and will be built in the Opportunity District of the Expo site in Dubai.
The winning design will be announced later in 2018. Led by the Department for International Trade (DIT), the UK Pavilion will host a business and cultural programme to promote the UK as a world-class destination for business, education and tourism.
Baroness Fairhead, Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion, said: "Expo 2020 is a fantastic platform to promote Global Britain on the world stage. The UK pavilion will demonstrate the best of British to millions of people, emphasising the high quality of the innovative goods and services produced by our world-leading businesses.
"The UK has a proud history of building successful showcases at World Expos, and supported by this excellent panel, the government is confident that Expo 2020 will create even more terrific opportunities for UK companies."
Laura Faulkner, UK Commissioner and Project Director, Expo 2020 Dubai, added: "We’re delighted that such an esteemed, accomplished and varied panel are joining us to decide on the winning design of the UK pavilion at Expo 2020.
"Previous UK pavilions at World Expos have attracted a significant number of visitors, with the Thomas Heatherwick-designed Seed Cathedral and Wolfgang Buttress’s Hive both going on to win a number of major awards."
Expo 2020 is taking place in Dubai from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 with 180 nations participating and an expected 25 million visitors.
