Brazil has just announced its participation in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, opening on May 10, 2025, with a pavilion curated by the Plano Coletivo group. Architects Luciana Saboia, Eder Alencar, and Matheus Seco will lead the project, representing Brazil with an multidisciplinary approach that bridges architecture, nature, and social infrastructure.
Commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the Türkiye Pavilion has announced the project to be exhibited at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2025, set to take place from 10 May to 23 November. Titled "Grounded," the exhibition will be curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa. The project was selected following a two-stage competition.
The Monaco Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka explores the fusion of Mediterranean and Japanese landscapes, creating a unique cultural dialogue through architecture and landscape design. The pavilion's design, centered around a harmonious blend of Mediterranean and Japanese garden elements, embodies Monaco's global initiatives and its commitment to environmental stewardship. Reflecting the Expo's theme, "Take Care of Wonder," the pavilion invites visitors to experience a captivating and serene environment that celebrates both nature and culture.
Designed by Luxembourg-based office STDM architectes urbanistes in collaboration with Japanese office MIKAN, the concept of "Doki-Doki –The Luxembourg Heartbeat" has won the competition for the design of the Luxembourg pavilion at the Osaka 2025 World Expo. The pavilion takes its name from the Japanese term for heartbeat, aiming to express joy and enthusiasm while strengthening the connection between the two countries. It also strives to offer visitors a chance to discover the cultural richness of Luxembourg and its multifaceted identity.
BWM Designers & Architects has just revealed the design for the Austrian Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. Titled “Austria. Composing the Future,” the pavilion reimagines the expo’s theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” through a music lens, suggesting a future that is not only designed but also composed. In collaboration with facts and fiction, the pavilion and exhibition embark on a journey through Austria’s musical heritage and witness its transition into the future.
Until July 14, 2024, the pavilion ¡Qué faena(r)! ('What a Task!') by Óscar Cruz García and Pablo Paradinas Sastre will be installed at Puerta del Sol in Vigo, one of the two winning temporary pavilions of the third edition of TAC! Urban Architecture Festival. Reflecting on public spaces and the regeneration of urban centers as the main theme of this new edition, the proposal combines tradition and innovation, involving local producers and artisans during the process and simultaneously reusing materials considered waste, such as fishing nets, rusty 'bombos,' recovered wood from bateas, and granite blocks that gain a second life after fulfilling their mission in the sea.
During a groundbreaking ceremony, the UAE Pavilion has just announced its participation in Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Scheduled to begin in April 2025, under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the pavilion is located in the “Empowering Lives” zone. Designed to work under the broader theme, the UAE Pavilion will offer diverse programming and interactive exhibits and will serve as a collaborative platform for co-creating solutions that “drive collective progress.”
As we near its 100th anniversary, expanded polystyrene (EPS) has become widely used in various industries and applications, especially in construction. Since 1970, EPS has been used in building construction due to its thermal insulation properties, lightweight closed-cell structure, durable strength, and long-term integrity. However, while these qualities make it highly useful and easy to recycle, they have also sparked debate due to recurring discussions about its degradation processes and environmental impact from various perspectives.
While the debate rages on, many improvements and alternative approaches have emerged around this material, highlighting that achieving sustainable construction involves using the right material for the right job from the outset. Thus, over time, innovations have brought new options for the recycling and use of EPS beyond traditional building applications such as infill blocks or partition panels. This demonstrates that rather than stigmatizing it as a problematic or “simple” material, it is essential to consider its qualities through design, technology, and developing methods for responsible and sustainable management.
Although the sensory approach in the built environment is often based primarily on visual aspects, such as color and light, as we delve deeper into the relationship of architecture with the senses other essential elements emerge, such as aromas, textures, sounds, and even flavors. These components are fundamental to creating a profound experience between the user and the environment in which it takes place, demonstrating that design and sensory experience are intrinsically connected.
Thus, sensory design offers an immersive atmosphere for a full spectrum of senses where its perception extends beyond physical boundaries. An example of this is the Vertical Panorama Pavilion, located in a region of California (USA) with a strong identity linked to the wine tradition. This structure, with a glass canopy of Color PVB interlayers, serves as a shelter for hospitality. Inspired by nature, the pavilion’s canopy engages all the senses: from the texture of the gravel on the walking path to the wind currents in the area and the characteristic aromas of the region.
Foster + Partners has just unveiled the opening of “Radial,” a new summer pavilion for the London Festival of Architecture. Situated at Principal Place, an office space also designed by Foster + Partners in London, the pavilion brings new life to the plaza. “Radial” is constructed from readily available and reusable materials, showcasing a commitment to sustainability. The structure also provides a welcoming space for rest and contemplation.
British-Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE has designed a pavilion as part of Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s (HKW) festival in Berlin. The festival, titled Ballet of the Masses - On Football and Catharsis, initiated an annual pavilion in 2023, and this year’s pavilion dresses intricate questions of coexistence through its materiality and form. Part of the Shaped to the Measure of the People’s Songs architectural series, Yinka Illori’s pavilion crafts a spatial proposition that explores complex themes of racism in sports and personal accountability.
Since its launch in 2000, the Serpentine Pavilion has been providing renowned and emerging architects with a platform for design experimentation, becoming an important display of contemporary architecture. Each year, the commissioned architects and designers envision a temporary structure that speaks not only to their roots as creators, but also brings into focus what they consider to be important themes in the architectural world, from the need to redefine spaces for contemplation or conviviality, to explorations into the potential of natural materials or vernacular building techniques. On the day of the public opening of the 2024 Serpentine Pavilion, the "Archipelagic Void" designed by Korean architect Minsuk Cho and his firm Mass Studies, we look back at the last eight editions of the famous annual structure.
Lebanese French architect Lina Ghotmeh with her Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture has revealed the design for the National Pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain for the Expo Osaka 2025. The design draws inspiration from the traditional Bahraini dhow boats, employing the country’s historical boat-building technologies to showcase Bahrain’s craftsmanship and manufacturing heritage. The pavilion is also a not to the hosts of the world expo, drawing parallels with Japanese wood artistry.
As dwellers of big cities, we tend to be dragged into a very fast-paced lifestyle. Surrounded by monumental buildings and infrastructure, we can easily lose sight of key spaces that connect us with our neighborhood and provide us with rare moments of peace and enjoyment. Appropriation of the environment we inhabit becomes an uncommon circumstance.
When he was invited to design the 21st Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens public park, Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates envisioned a calm space to offer respite and a subtle exploration into the power of sound and music in architecture. Created out of lightweight stained wood, the “Black Chapel” demonstrates more than just artistic and architectural sensibilities. In addition to the use of sustainable materials, the project also pays close attention to how the building materials are sourced, bringing visibility to the problem of modern slavery in the construction materials supply chain.
To ensure fair labor conditions not just on-site, but throughout the entire production process, the Serpentine Pavilion collaborated with Grace Farms, a US-based non-profit foundation helping designers and industry leaders to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain, thus establishing more ethical practices and a more humane future.
Seoul-based Korean architect Minsuk Cho and his firm Mass Studies have been selected to design the 23rd Serpentine Pavilion, to open on June 5, 2024, in London’s Kensington Gardens. Titled “Archipelagic Void,” this iteration of the iconic commission will consist of five ‘islands’ displayed around an open space, breaking down the structure into a series of smaller elements intertwined with the park’s natural ecology. The pavilion will be open to the public from June 7, until October 27, 2024, with a press preview two days before the opening.
Aleatek Studio’s concept of “Floating Forest” has been announced as the winner of the competition for the design of the Serbia Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. The pavilion, will be located at the West Entrance and Earth Plaza, aims to interpret Serbian culture and the country’s natural landscape through architectural expression. The design strategy also aligns with the theme “Play for humanity” of the upcoming Specialised Expo 2027 to be held in Belgrade.
The State of Kuwait has revealed the design of the upcoming Kuwait Pavilion to take shape at World Expo 2025 in Osaka. Designed by architectural firm LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture), the temporary structure is envisioned as a “Visionary Lighthouse” representing Kuwait’s embrace of Arab cultures, arts, and social works. The pavilion, developed with main partner and contractor NUSSLI, also offers a response to the exhibition’s overarching theme, "Designing Future Society for our Lives", striving to strengthen the relationship between Kuwait and Japan and foster conversations about visions of a sustainable future.
