The structure is designed to cover the central square of the new complex for Expo 2020. The enormous opening dome covers over 130 m of the central Plaza area and reaches a height of 67.5 m. With a weight of more than 2,265 tons and an indoor space of 724,000 m³, the Al Wasl Plaza is truly a pharaonic and iconic project. This pulsating heart is being built through a partnership between two Italian companies: the Milanese Rimond and the Pordenone-based Cimolai. Maffeis Engineering completes an Italian trio and contributes to the mammoth task of transforming this pharaonic project into reality by designing the method statement and the steel pipe connections.

The most peculiar phase of the construction sequence is the lift of the inner part (a small dome with a height of 25 m) onto the outer part. This incredibly delicate phase requires all the skills and know-how from the Cimolai team combined with every ounce of the detailed knowledge and high-grade analysis skills of the Maffeis design team. Also, the challenge of the design of the steel pipe connections is an interesting and complex one. Maffeis Engineering develops and leverages a model with marvelous computational power. The required analyses are conducted with computational approaches oriented towards automation—approaches that represent state-of-the-art innovations in the world engineering panorama.