Al Wasl Plaza Dome
A 130-metre steel trellis dome at the heart of Expo City — the world's largest 360-degree projection surface, glowing translucent at night.
Al Wasl Plaza is the symbolic and physical heart of Expo City Dubai — formerly the centrepiece of Expo 2020 — sitting at the intersection of the site's three thematic districts (Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability). 'Al Wasl' is the historical name for Dubai and means 'connection' in Arabic, reflecting the plaza's role in linking the whole site. It was designed by the Chicago firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, chosen through an international competition in 2016.
The plaza is crowned by a monumental domed steel trellis, roughly 130 metres in diameter and 67.5 metres tall, weighing around 550 tonnes and enclosing some 724,000 cubic metres of space — one of the largest such domes ever built. Its intricate latticework geometry was inspired by the Expo 2020 logo, itself drawn from a Bronze Age ring discovered in the UAE. Clad in a translucent, perforated fabric, the dome provides shade and lowers temperatures over the landscaped, sloped 'vineyard' garden below, while remaining open and airy.
The dome doubles as the world's largest 360-degree projection surface. An array of 252 Christie laser projectors housed in 42 pods around the inner perimeter — mounted on the trellis about 23 metres above the ground — wash the surface with imagery. Because the fabric is translucent, the projections are visible both to audiences inside the plaza and to those outside, turning the entire structure into a giant immersive screen for ceremonies, national-day celebrations, nightly shows and concerts. It remains the defining landmark of Expo City Dubai's legacy district.
Exhibo editorial
Al Wasl is the old name for Dubai and the Arabic word for 'connection', and the dome that carries it does the connecting literally — it stands at the exact crossing point of the Expo's three districts, so every route runs through it. But the real trick is what happens to it after dark.
The whole 130-metre lattice is wrapped in translucent fabric, which means when the 252 projectors fire up, the images don't just play on the inside — they bleed through, so the dome glows and moves whether you're standing under it or looking at it from across the site. A Bronze Age ring found in the UAE gave it its pattern; a wall of lasers gives it its life. Stand inside during a show, in the shaded garden, and watch the sky above you dissolve into light.
Gallery
How to find it
Al Wasl Plaza is the central hub of Expo City Dubai in Dubai South, where the Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability districts meet — all main routes through the site lead to it. Walk in beneath the dome to experience the shaded garden and the scale of the trellis overhead. The 360-degree projection shows run after dark and are visible both from inside the plaza and from the surrounding site, as the translucent dome displays imagery on both faces.
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