The Belgian Pavilion is located in the mobility district and will be able to welcome around 15,000 visits a day. The theme of the Belgian Pavilion "The Green Arch" is to catalyze architecture, structure, energy, landscape, and scenography as if the entire project had been drawn with a single pen line.
BelExpo wants to demonstrate a green and smart Belgium and prove that Belgium is a pioneering nation with a comprehensive platform for opportunities that are open to the world. Committed to soft mobility and based on the emergence of green, dense and connected cities "The Green Arch" wants to exhibit Belgian industrial, technological and scientific know-how internationally. This arched monolith, sober and elegant, reflects our "belgitude", a clever mix between Latin romanticism in the field of art and Anglo-Saxon technical precision in the technical branches.
Our construction-family : the people actually doing the hard work.
We think it’s important to get to know the people behind the vast amounts of work being done to make our Belgian Pavilion the masterpiece it will be. Every month, we will introduce you to a new member of our construction family.
This month we’re meeting up with Michael Philip Megally. Michael is 36 years old, and married, with two children. One boy and one girl. “I worked For Orascom Construction Industries in Egypt for almost 3 years, and after that I started my journey with Besix in the UAE. I joined the company in January of 2008”, Michael says. “My role in the Belgian Pavilion is Project Manager.” Michael has had the pleasure of working on some interesting projects during his time with Besix. There are three in particular he would like to share with us:
“The Dubai Sewerage Treatment Plant with a value of approx. 1.3 Billion Dhs. It was one of the most complex projects I ever completed with Besix, due to the enormous amount of infrastructure and high techniques in the water treatment process.”, Michael explains.
“Next the Oberoi Luxury Beach Resort in Alzorah Ajman, UAE. It was one of the most beautiful projects in terms of design and the sophisticated contemporary architecture, including wide open spaces and a natural palette that harmonizes with the panoramic ocean vistas and long white sand beaches.”, he says.
“I’ll end with the Dubai Tram Project.”, Michael says. “This one was definitely a mega project, and challenging as well. This was due to the several challenges faced during the design and the execution of the tram stations and the surrounding roads, and also the reinstatement of one of the most crowded areas in Dubai which is Jumeirah Beach Residence.”, he concludes.
“Working with Besix for almost 13 years on different types of projects is a great opportunity, which helped me gain extensive experience. It also let me develop excellent communication skills with clients with different nationalities within the Besix teams. It has been a good opportunity for me to explore and work with the different cultures, and different civilizations, working in the UAE.”, Michael concludes.
A short Q&A
How many workers in total are employed for the construction of our pavilion?
Approximately 125 counting staff and workers
When will the external building be fully ready?
December 2020
When will you start with the interior?
March 2021
When will all construction and interior work be fully finished ?
July 2021
How many nationalities are working on the Belgian Pavilion?
We’re lucky to have people from all over the world are working on the Belgian Pavilion. Belgians, Egyptians, Syrians, Filipinos, Sri Lankans, Jordanians, Indians, Nepalese, Bangladeshis and Pakistani.
