The Kingdom of the Netherlands has recently unveiled the theme and design of its Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, in a presentation held in Osaka City. The pavilion's theme, “Common Ground: Creating a New Dawn Together,” emphasizes the Netherlands’ dedication to fostering mutual understanding to address global challenges. Designed by RAU Architects, the pavilion's circular design features a prominent illuminated sphere at its center, symbolizing a new era of unlimited clean energy, akin to a “man-made sun” signaling a future powered by sustainable resources.
Uzbekistan has just revealed its pavilion for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Designed by Atelier Brückner and realized by NUSSLI, the pavilion aims to showcase the country’s vision for the future under the Expo’s broader theme, “Designing the Future Society for Our Lives.” Composed of modular, reusable wooden elements, the pavilion’s architecture will later be reconstructed in Uzbekistan, serving as a studio, workshop, or school.
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.
More than half of the world's population resides in urban areas, with over 4 billion people depending on cities as their main environment. According to the United Nations’ latest report on populations in cities, this number is expected to continue to increase over the next 50 years, prompting cities worldwide to strive to find better ways to accommodate their growing population while transitioning to more sustainable urban practices. To highlight this responsibility, the United Nations has declared July 11th the World Population Day.
Under this year’s theme, “To Leave No One Behind, Count Everyone,” the UN aims to also draw attention to the importance of data collection for reflecting societal diversity. The growth of world cities is part of this equation as an important measure for understanding global population trends. The following list presents the top 20 cities worldwide in 2024, ranked by the population size of their metropolitan areas. Comparing the results to the previous editions, the only cities to reduce their size are the two cities from Japan, Tokyo and Osaka. The highest growth rates can be observed in African mega-cities, Kinshasa and Lagos, while China continues to be the most present country in the list, with 5 metropolises present in the top 20: Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Tianjin, and Guangzhou.
During a groundbreaking ceremony, the UAEPavilion 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.”
LAVA Architects has just revealed their design for The German Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. Highlighting the theme of the circular economy, the pavilion is titled “Wa! Doitsu,” translating to “Wow! Germany.” Conveying enthusiasm, The Pavilion explores concepts around circularity, showcasing the “terminological culmination of the sustainability discussion.” Focusing on returning all consumable goods to the cycle of the economy, achieving zero waste, and minimizing resource consumption, the theme is visible throughout the entire design.
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.
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.
Trahan Architects has just unveiled the design of the USA Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai in Japan. During the six-month expo, the proposal aims to showcase American architecture, innovation, culture, and industry. The display will be focused on celebrating contemporary American achievements in various fields, featuring exhibitions focused on sustainability, space exploration, education, and entrepreneurship.
Foster + Partners has been selected to design the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka. Positioned at the Yumeshima waterfront, the pavilion aims to evoke the essence of Saudi Arabian towns and cities while providing an engaging spatial experience. Overall, the design aims to immerse visitors through audio-visual elements and offer them a glimpse into the marvels of Saudi Arabia.
Using computational fluid dynamics simulations, the pavilion's structure was developed with inspiration from the organic forms of traditional Saudi villages. During the hot summer months, this strategy helps cool western winds flow through the city's streets. In addition, in the calmer months of April and October, the planted courtyard serves as a windbreak, protecting the pavilion from strong winds coming from the north.
Mario Cucinella Architects has just revealed the design of the Italian Pavilion for Expo Osaka 2025. Envisioned as a dynamic entity, the pavilion aims to foster knowledge and innovation through the interplay of different generations and cultures. It will serve as a collaborative repository of Italian expertise, encompassing artistic, scientific, entrepreneurial, and social experiments. The display is designed around Italy's cultural treasures and aims to highlight, deconstruct, and then reinterpret them in a contemporary manner.
Courtesy of interplay+komy | Polish Pavilion Expo 2025
Interplay has just revealed the design for Poland’s Pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Kansai. Commissioned by the Polish Investment and Trading Agency, the project is responding to the theme of the upcoming Expo, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” The Polish Pavilion was born from the studio’s fascination with spirals, specifically the shape’s use in different scales, from “protein molecules to the structure of galaxies.” Serving as a symbol of Polish ingenuity, the geometric-patterned pavilion aims to extend its influence beyond national boundaries.
