{"id":327,"date":"2025-06-02T19:00:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T19:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/?p=327"},"modified":"2025-06-03T11:38:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T11:38:34","slug":"william-mulvihill-takes-us-on-a-photo-journey-across-expo-2025-osakas-national-pavilions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/2025\/06\/02\/william-mulvihill-takes-us-on-a-photo-journey-across-expo-2025-osakas-national-pavilions\/","title":{"rendered":"william mulvihill takes us on a photo journey across expo 2025 osaka\u2019s national pavilions"},"content":{"rendered":"

a closer look inside expo 2025 osaka<\/h2>\n

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Photographer<\/strong><\/a> William Mulvihill takes us around Japan\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> Expo 2025 Osaka<\/strong><\/a>, capturing a cross-section of some of the most striking pavilions<\/strong><\/a>. These national identities take architectural form in varied ways, from expressive timber structures and modular wooden grids to immersive spatial choreographies and recycled rope facades \u2014 each responding to the Expo\u2019s overarching theme: Designing Future Society for Our Lives.<\/p>\n

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Several nations revisit maritime heritage, like Bahrain\u2019s dhow-like timber structure, Portugal\u2019s suspended rope facade, while the UAE turns to the idea of reusing agricultural waste together with Japanese joinery. Others lean into circularity and adaptability, such as the Nordic Pavilion, designed for full disassembly, and Uzbekistan\u2019s pavilion, which will be rebuilt back home after the Expo. Meanwhile France, Italy, and Saudi Arabia explore multi-sensory experiences that blend nature and technology. Explore the series below, and learn more about the Expo through designboom\u2019s guide<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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all images by William Mulvihill<\/p>\n

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oceans and the sun inspire spanish and belgian pavilions<\/h2>\n

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The Spanish Pavilion by Enorme Studio, Smart and Green Design, and N\u00e9stor Montenegro Mateos draws on the shared presence of the ocean and the sun, linking the geographies of Spain and Japan through the Kuroshio Current This powerful, invisible ocean stream that has long connected the two nations becomes the focal point of the concept, which William Mulvihill captures<\/strong><\/a> from various vantage points. As the building\u2019s architecture is shaped by these twin forces, it reflects a way of life rooted in marine navigation, solar rhythms, and cultural exchange. The exhibition narrative, centered on this east\u2013west oceanic thread, presents the current as a medium of connection and continuity.<\/p>\n

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Water is also the central metaphor in the Belgium Pavilion by Carr\u00e9 7, Beyond Limits, One Designs, Pirnay, and Poly-Tech. It organizes its structure across three levels representing the states of water: solid, liquid, and gas, and each layer corresponds to a different phase, using material expression and spatial design to evoke the properties of transformation and flow. Inside, the exhibition showcases innovations in life sciences and health care, with a focus on human-centered technologies.<\/p>\n

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Spanish Pavilion<\/p>\n

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serbia and monaco contemplate ideas of transformation<\/h2>\n

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The Serbia Pavilion, titled Floating Forest, is inspired by a unique natural formation in Belgrade where a wooded island meets the city at the confluence of two major rivers. The design forms a spatial metaphor for balance between nature and urbanity, heritage and innovation. Its theme, Society of Play, weaves together scientific achievement, cultural production, and creative freedom. As a preview of Expo 2027 Belgrade, the pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka positions Serbia as a host-in-waiting as well as an architectural manifestation of curiosity and care.<\/p>\n

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Under the theme Take Care of Wonder, the Monaco Pavilion, invites visitors into a multisensory exploration of environmental awareness. The design fosters a contemplative relationship with the natural world, and outdoor and indoor spaces are organized to elicit a sense of fragile beauty and ecological interdependence, encouraging visitors to reconsider the ties between self and planet. Alongside the exhibitions, a wine bar presents an experience of hospitality, offering wines and cognacs from the H\u00f4tel de Paris Monte-Carlo\u2019s renowned cellar. In this balance of spectacle and intimacy, the pavilion reflects Monaco\u2019s broader message that care for the planet begins with the cultivation of wonder.<\/p>\n

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the architecture reflects a way of life rooted in marine navigation, solar rhythms, and cultural exchange<\/p>\n

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uae and bahrain explore material and cultural heritage<\/h2>\n

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William Mulvihill captures how a few of the Gulf nations at Expo 2025 Osaka interpret sustainability through material heritage and cross-cultural exchange. UAE draws from Emirati building traditions while integrating Japanese wooden construction techniques. Designed with elements such as palm gravel \u2014 an agricultural byproduct \u2014 the pavilion reflects a commitment to low-impact materials and echoes a broader ambition to reconcile past practices with future challenges. Its layered approach emphasizes continuity with the landscape and offers a reinterpretation of traditional methods for a contemporary, climate-conscious context.<\/p>\n

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Designed by Lina Ghotmeh, the Bahrain Pavilion roots its concept in material and heritage. A timber structure reminiscent of traditional dhow boats faces the sea, symbolizing the island nation\u2019s history as a maritime crossroads in the Gulf. Clad in aluminum and shaped using boat-building techniques, the structure draws from both local traditions and Japanese woodcraft. While passive cooling strategies address the Expo\u2019s environmental demands, the design also marks a cultural convergence, positioning craft, sustainability, and diplomacy as interconnected concerns. Nearby, Saudi Arabia\u2019s pavilion by Foster + Partners offers a more urban response, weaving native materials and computational design to evoke a sensory landscape of the Kingdom, reinforcing how regional architecture is increasingly aligned with climate performance and cultural storytelling.<\/p>\n

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Lina Ghotmeh\u2019s Bahrain Pavilion<\/p>\n

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uzbekistan and nordic countries rethink wooden construction\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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The Nordic and Uzbekistan pavilions take Expo 2025 Osaka as an opportunity to foreground circularity and reusability in architecture with their intricate wooden structures. Designed by AMDL Circle, the Nordic Pavilion brings together Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden under a single structure made from forest-managed wood. Treated with natural oils and pigments, the dark-hued exterior draws from traditional preservation techniques, while the modular system allows for full disassembly and reuse after the event. Inside, an open-plan layout hosts exhibitions on regional sustainability innovations, while an outdoor terrace encourages informal exchange and rest.<\/p>\n

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The Uzbekistan Pavilion, designed by ATELIER BR\u00dcCKNER and NUSSLI, adopts somewhat similar modular logic, built from a kit of prefabricated wooden elements, the pavilion is designed to be relocated after the Expo and reassembled in Uzbekistan as a workshop, school, or cultural space. William Mulvihill winds through its intricate spatial layout that unfolds through a garden, a forest of slender wooden columns, and a central sculpture, with each element symbolizing aspects of the country\u2019s natural and creative identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"william
a timber structure reminiscent of traditional dhow boats faces the sea<\/p>\n

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conceptual storytelling define italy and portugal\u2019s pavilions<\/h2>\n

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Both Italy and Portugal use architectural storytelling to frame questions of social connection, shared history, and environmental futures. Mario Cucinella Architects\u2019 Italian Pavilion reinterprets the Renaissance ideal of the Citt\u00e0 Ideale as a flexible, civic environment. The structure reveals a collection of public spaces such as a piazza, teatro, and giardino, with each inviting interaction, gathering, and cultural programming. Rooted in traditions of Italian urbanism, the design prioritizes modularity and openness, with adaptable spaces that also host the Holy See, creating a hybrid venue for art exhibitions, performances, and dialogue.<\/p>\n

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Kengo Kuma\u2019s Portugal Pavilion takes a lighter, more elemental, yet sculptural approach. William Mulvihill captures the facade\u2019s intricate suspended ropes and recycled fishing nets that recall ocean waves and nod to the country\u2019s maritime legacy. Under the theme Ocean: The Blue Dialogue, the pavilion houses two exhibitions: one tracing Portugal\u2019s longstanding maritime connection with Japan, and another envisioning a sustainable future through digital storytelling and immersive environments. The structure\u2019s materials and assembly foreground a circular economy mindset, while its symbolic language reflects a deep engagement with climate, ecology, and shared stewardship of the sea. The France Pavilion by Coldefy and CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati offers a similarly immersive journey, staged as a three-act theatrical encounter with nature, further reinforcing how many of this year\u2019s pavilions use movement and narrative structure to spatialize national values.<\/p>\n

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Mario Cucinella Architects\u2019 Italian Pavilion reinterprets the Renaissance ideal of the Citt\u00e0 Ideale<\/p>\n

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\"william
the structure reveals a collection of public spaces such as a piazza, teatro, and giardino<\/p>\n

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France Pavilion by Coldefy and CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati<\/p>\n

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staged as a three-act theatrical encounter with nature<\/p>\n

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exhibits illustrate how design bridges the gap between human and non-human life across the planet<\/p>\n

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Kengo Kuma\u2019s Portugal Pavilion takes a sculptural approach<\/p>\n

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William Mulvihill captures the facade\u2019s intricate suspended ropes and recycled fishing nets<\/p>\n

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\"william
the pavilion houses two exhibitions, with one tracing Portugal\u2019s longstanding maritime connection with Japan<\/p>\n

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Designed by AMDL Circle, the Nordic Pavilion<\/p>\n

\"william
bringing together Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden<\/p>\n

\"william
treated with natural oils and pigments, the dark-hued exterior draws from traditional preservation techniques<\/p>\n

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Mocano Pavilion is staged under the theme Take Care of Wonder<\/p>\n

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Serbia Pavilion, titled Floating Forest<\/p>\n

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inspired by a natural formation in Belgrade where a wooded island meets the city at the confluence of two rivers<\/p>\n

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\"william
Saudi Arabia\u2019s pavilion by Foster + Partners offers a more urban response<\/p>\n

\"william
UAE draws from Emirati building traditions while integrating Japanese wooden construction technique<\/p>\n

\"william
designed with elements such as palm gravel \u2014 an agricultural byproduct<\/p>\n

\"william
the Uzbekistan Pavilion, designed by ATELIER BR\u00dcCKNER and NUSSLI<\/p>\n

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built from a kit of prefabricated wooden elements, the pavilion is designed to be relocated after the Expo<\/p>\n

\"william
water is an important metaphor in the Belgium Pavilion<\/p>\n

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it unfolds across three levels representing the states of water: solid, liquid, and gas<\/p>\n

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project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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name: <\/strong>Expo 2025 Osaka<\/p>\n

photographer: <\/strong>William Mulvihill<\/a> | @williamulvihill<\/a><\/p>\n

location: <\/strong>Osaka, Japan<\/p>\n

The post william mulvihill takes us on a photo journey across expo 2025 osaka\u2019s national pavilions<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

a closer look inside expo 2025 osaka \u00a0 Photographer William Mulvihill takes us around Japan\u2019s Expo 2025 Osaka, capturing a cross-section of some of the most striking pavilions. These national identities take architectural form in varied ways, from expressive timber structures and modular wooden grids to immersive spatial choreographies and recycled rope facades \u2014 each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":357,"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions\/357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itc-ns.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}