Located at the Dubai International Financial Center stands an eye-catching pavilion designed by the Middle East Architecture Network (MEAN). Known for their evocative designs using computational design and digital fabrication techniques, their most recent project, Deciduous, highlights the studio's passion for experimentation with fabrication and materials. 

According to a project statement by MEAN, "Deciduous is composed of a hybrid of 3 different sustainable materials: CNC-milled Birch plywood flooring, Robotically 3D-Printed Concrete Base, and a series of branching 3D-Printed PETG stems, a plastic polymer up-cycled from 30,000 discarded water bottles.” The goal of the pavilion and its unique material construction is to aid spectators by revisiting their "relationship with nature, through an experience reminiscent of walking through an abstracted botanical form," according to the designers.

Video Documenting 'Deciduous' Fabrication, Construction and Exhibition. Video © MEAN

The pavilion was also created as a response to Dubai's current focus on integrating 3D printing technology with sustainable technological practices. Deciduous is an attempt to "explore the possibilities that the two technologies can offer, contributing to the emirate's vision of ecological construction growth towards 2025." according to MEAN. 

The pavilion was prefabricated off-site and then joined mechanically on-site without the need for heavy machinery. Thanks to examples of computational modeling, the structure was designed to a high degree of precisions thanks to a Large Format Robotic 3D Printing process that could handle the project's scale and constraints.