The Netherlands Pavilion for the World Expo 2020 in Dubai has opened its doors on the 1st of October. From now on and onwards for six months, guests from all around the world can visit the unique installation in the Sustainability District. Solar designer Marjan van Aubel Studio created the pavilion's colourful solar-paneled roof whose skylights are made of transparent organic photovoltaic cells (OPV) from ASCA.

The pavilion, designed by V8 Architects, is a temporary circular climate system that forms a symbiotic relationship between water, energy, and food solutions. When entering, the skylights immerse visitors in rays of coloured light that reflect, refract, and dance inside the pavilion. Marjan van Aubel Studio created the transparent skylights specially for the installation. "With ASCA® solutions, any design is possible. The graphic design of the solar cells with a coloured Moiré effect shows that they do not only produce energy, but also can be a form of art," says solar designer Marjan van Aubel. The unique ASCA® solar panels supply the pavilion with solar power produced by carbon-based organic solar cells; they, in turn, create a climate for growing food products.

Award-winning concept

In mid-September the Netherlands Pavilion - together with Expomobilia, V8 Architects, Dutch Dubai and many more - was honored with the "Sustainable Construction Project of the Year" award for its unique sustainability concept and building approach.

Lightweight OPV solutions

ASCA manufactured the OPV by applying the very thin layers to fine PET foils using a special printing process. As the ASCA® solutions are lightweight and easily transportable, the panels can be taken apart and be reassembled. They will go to a new destination after the Expo ends.

Marjan van Aubel Studio, in partnership with ASCA, is producing a video at Expo 2020 Dubai. A teaser of the film can be found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHWNAyH7qK4


ASCA designs and develops intelligent, tailor-made, flexible and low-carbon solar energy solutions on an industrial scale for its international partners. Its team of experts of fifty people is spread over France and Germany. ASCA is a company of ARMOR Group. ARMOR specializes in the industrial formulation of inks and the coating of thin layers onto thin films. The Group is the global market leader in the design and manufacture of thermal transfer ribbons for printing variable traceability data on labels and flexible packaging. With an international presence, ARMOR has nearly 2,000 employees in some 20 different countries. In 2020 it posted annual revenue of €274m. www.asca.com


About Marjan van Aubel Studio
Marjan van Aubel is a Dutch award-winning solar designer who seamlessly integrates solar power into our environ-ments 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. Her work is part of perma-nent collections of museums such as MoMA New York, the V&A London and Boijmans van Beuningen in the Nether-lands, to name but a few. She has collaborated with global brands such as Cos, Timberland and Swarovski with the aim of accelerating global energy transition to solar.