State spends €9m on ‘Stone Age’ pavilion to fly the flag at Dubai Expo

According to the OPW, however, the pavilion had a projected budget of around €8.8m and VAT refunds of up to €512,000 are yet to be recouped.

The OPW said that given construction had taken place during the “extraordinary circumstances” of the Covid pandemic, they were happy the costs involved had been “reasonable”.

A Department of Foreign Affairs business case for the project said the pavilion was designed to promote Ireland’s “prosperity, influence and values” at the Dubai Expo, which began last October and runs until the end of next month.

It warned of the serious risks of failure, mismanagement or reputational damage from the project and said lessons should be learned from previous Expos in Milan and Shanghai.

“Any delay in implementing the project will seriously affect the likelihood of success,” the business case stated. “Failure to deliver the project will have a negative impact on the international reputation of Ireland, including on bilateral relations with the UAE and wider Mena [Middle East and North Africa] region and on the domestic reputation of the department.”

The business case also said significant staff costs would be rung up, including a full-time commissioner general working on the project along with multiple other civil servants to support them.

The department also said that while it was used to operating in challenging environments, there was a “risk profile” for projects located in that part of the world.

It warned of the potential for cost overruns, the late opening of the pavilion and a failure to promote Ireland effectively at the Expo.

The business case said that in previous years there had been very late agreement on taking part in Expos, with minimal planning and preparation time.

“This is the first time that [the department] has taken a lead and ensured that the Government made a relatively early decision to participate. While still not optimal, preparation this time is twice that for Expo Milan,” it stated.

The 1,200 square metre pavilion is made up of two areas, called The Oculus and The Garden of Ideas.

Design documents said The Oculus consisted of a circular room covered by a cone, intended to evoke the ancient Irish relationship with the sun dating back to Newgrange. The Garden of Ideas was intended as a semi-open performance space where most of the programme’s activities were planned to take place.

The OPW said the design strategy for the Irish pavilion had been for a scaled-down single-storey structure with a large outdoor space.

It said this represented “good value for money” and the pavilion was an important platform to “anchor Ireland’s position in the world”.

“Ireland’s presence at Expo has seen an all-of-government, Team Ireland approach, generating unique networking and economic opportunities for Irish businesses. The pavilion showcases the best of Irish creativity and innovation to a global audience,” it said.

“The pavilion offers flexibility as it is used to welcome visitors for business, networking and entertainment events, panel discussions and as a base for ministers and delegates to host high-level meetings and carry out official business.”