Sydney Opera House studio wins design bid for Expo 2027 site in Malaga

The same designers famous for the iconic Sydney Opera House have been awarded the contract to draw up initial designs for the 'ring' that will house the Expo 2027 pavilions if the city is chosen to host the international event.

A month out from the final decision on which city will be selected, Malaga City Council selected London-based firm Ove Arup to draw up the preliminary design for the 'ring', planned for the Buenavista site, on the outskirts of the city.

The firm, which has a presence in 37 countries, also helped design the cathedral of the city of Los Angeles and the Pompidou Centre in Paris. In Malaga, Ove Arup played a role in the refurbishment of the Palacio de los Condes de Buenavist to house the Picasso Museum 20 years ago.

Malaga pitched its bid to host Expo 27 under the slogan The Urban Era: Towards the Sustainable City. It would run from 5 June to 5 September, 2027 and cost a total of 859 million euros, including the investment to build the planned site at Buenavista.

The enormous ring-shaped building would be constructed, some 560 metres in diameter, and would house three themed pavilions (citizenship, innovation and the environment) around a central space for gardens. There would also be restaurants and a theatre with space for 3,000 spectators at the site.

"As detailed in the draft project proposal, which will be directed by Flavio Tejada (civil engineer), the design of the site and its surroundings is based on providing the Expo and its infrastructures and public space with the appropriate technological elements to measure, control and operate in a sustainable way," the city council detailed.

Ove Arup's proposal involves a budget of 2,179,815 euros, of which the council is going to pay 25% for now to have a first design of the preliminary project.

Other candidates to host Expo 2027 are Bloomington (USA), Phuket (Thailand), Belgrade (Serbia) and San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). Payment of the remaining 75% of the contract will only be made by the council if Malaga's bid is selected.