The companies, which were involved in the UAE’s bid to host the historic exhibition, are currently undertaking site readiness activities, and will advise the Dubai Expo 2020 Higher Preparatory Committee in a number of areas.
The Committee said that the two companies had been appointed due to their “successful involvement” with the original masterplan, their detailed knowledge of the project and experience of working on other major events.
The host location will be a 438-hectare site that stretches from Dubai Trade Centre to Jebel Ali and comprises a 150-hectare Expo area plus hospitality, logistics and accommodation facilities.
HOK and Arup will work on the Expo masterplan comprising the urban design and engineering, landscaping, signage, overlay, sustainability, transportation, logistics, facility management and event operations.
Construction work will begin when the Bureau of International Expositions, the governing body of the World Expo, approves the plan, with a decision expected by November 2015.
The plans will correlate with Dubai’s ‘Smart City’ agenda, with the Expo site being designed to serve as a prototype for information and communications technology innovations, particularly in education and entertainment.
The exhibition site is designed to accommodate up to 300,000 visitors, with average week-day attendance expected at 153,000.
“Expos have been home to some of the world’s most landmark structures, from the Crystal Palace in London to the Eiffel Tower in Paris,” the Committee’s Managing Director, Reem Al Hashimy, said, according to Gulf Business.
“Dubai is committed to building on this tradition and making the entire site an experiential environment that fully embodies the essence of our theme ‘connecting minds, creating the future’.”
Committee Member Helal Almarri added: “The masterplan design and execution is driven by a clear vision for its legacy, integrating sustainable urban development with opportunities to foster economic and social development for the emirate, for the country and for our region.”
Dubai overcame Ekaterinburg (Russia), Izmir (Turkey) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) to secure the hosting rights in November last year.
The exhibition site will be designed to accommodate up to 300,000 visitors, with average weekday attendance at the six-month event, which will run from October 2020 to April 2021, likely to be about 150,000.
Cities around the world are currently expressing their interest in hosting future World Expos, with the hosts of the International Exposition in 2023 and Universal Exposition in 2025 expected to be determined over the next two to three years.
