Diana Farah

DUBAI: Japan’s global glass manufacturer AGC hosted an ‘AGC Day’ at Expo 2020 Dubai on Jan. 20, inviting businessmen to several seminars and a tour of the Japan Pavilion.

Attendees of the AGC Day were first taken to a tour of the Japan Pavilion, in which much of the glass used in the outer architecture of the pavilion is produced and manufactured by the Japanese company.

A seminar also took place at the Belgian Pavilion, which AGC sponsors, inviting the Japan Pavilion’s designer Yuko Nagayama, MEED Editorial Director Richard Thompson and Chief Technology Officer of AGC Glass Europe Marc Van Den Neste to speak to attendees.

Opening remarks were given by AGC Asia’s Chief Representative Tsukasa HIRABAYASHI. He spoke about AGC’s establishment and its commitment to the industry and towards more sustainable goals.

The Chief Representative also shared that 46% of AGC’s sales as of 2020 were glass products.

The Japan Pavilion’s architect also gave a presentation at the seminar describing the process it took to begin designing the pavilion to the execution of it.

She explained that they used a “three-dimensional expression with Japanese Origami shapes,” which symbolize the host’s respect for visitors.

Nagayama said that the Egyptian pyramids were also part of the inspiration as “the pyramid is the ultimate form of geometry,” showing that Middle Eastern aspects were also involved in the making of the Japan Pavilion.

The architect also spoke of future projects her team will be working on, some of which included the heavy use of glass. In 2027, the Tokyo Torch Tower is expected to be complete at 80 meters high.

MEED’s Thompson then gave attendees an outlook on the economy of the MENA and GCC regions over the last two years. AGC Europe’s Van Den Neste also gave a presentation describing the company’s goals towards a more sustainable future and its pledge to carbon neutrality by 2050.

The UAE’s Japanese Consul-General NOBURO Sekiguchi was also in attendance of AGC Day.

AGC also invited all attendees to a networking dinner on the Belgian Pavilion’s rooftop terrace, giving visitors a chance to connect.