A spectacular shell-shaped pavilion covering 25,800 square feet has become one of the most striking architectural installations at the Osaka Expo 2025. The PASONA Natureverse pavilion, designed by Japanese architect Satoshi Itasaka, embodies the concept of "The Spiral of Life" through an exploration of themes related to living beings, medicine, and the interconnection between humans and nature.

The massive structure, with a diameter of nearly 148 feet, takes the distinctive form of an ammonite – the prehistoric shell that serves as a symbol of life's resilience. Built on a site covering approximately 37,670 square feet, the pavilion's steel construction creates a truly spectacular architectural achievement. From above, the PASONA Natureverse genuinely resembles a giant shell deposited on a beach, capturing the attention of visitors to the 2025 Osaka exposition.

At the pavilion's entrance, a second structure shaped like a murex shell is illuminated with LEDs that immediately draw the gaze of exposition visitors. This monumental entrance piece frames the main pavilion and reinforces the marine theme that runs throughout the installation. The Pasona Group, responsible for the project in collaboration with Japanese architectural firm Design Labo, explained their vision: "From the birth of life to the present day, our heart has been a link with the concept of life."

Once completed, the PASONA Natureverse pavilion became a place dedicated to the concept of gratitude toward life, with the slogan "Thank you, Life!" serving as a means to place living nature at the center of debates during the six months of the Osaka exposition. The installation hosted numerous Japanese academic personalities, including Dr. Yoshiki Sawa, a professor at Osaka University and expert in regenerative medicine using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), who also served as executive producer of the project.

The pavilion featured various exhibitions on the theme of "Body, Mind, and Connections," including cutting-edge technologies such as cardiac tissue sheets derived from iPS cells that restore the heart as a symbol of life, according to the Pasona Group. These innovative medical displays demonstrated how scientific advancement can support and enhance life, aligning perfectly with the pavilion's overarching theme of gratitude for existence.

The architectural design of the pavilion adopted the spiral form of ammonites as a symbol of life because, according to Design Labo, "ammonites, which lived approximately 400 million years ago and thrived for a long period, overcoming three periods of mass extinction including the ice age, can be considered our 'predecessors of life.'" This spirit of reference to the numerous spirals that exist in nature – cosmic nebulae, typhoons, and DNA ribbons – influenced the firm's choice of this unusual form.

The spiral symbolizes a prosperous society where individuals connect with one another to achieve the pavilion's objective: a world where gratitude for life resonates, according to the Pasona Group. Through this exposition, the organizers sought to encourage visitors to discover the history of life on Earth, as well as to explore "the human wisdom that supports it and shapes future society."

The Pasona Group credits this extraordinary pavilion to Japanese architect Satoshi Itasaka, creator of The Design Labo architectural firm in 2012, which specializes in a wide range of fields including creative architectural design and product design. According to the Pasona Group, "the company aims to build a society where everyone can play an active role, in a healthy and dynamic way," hence the slogan "Thank you, Life!"

The exposition addressed three main themes: body, mind, and connections. Each theme respectively signified the medical and nutritional aspects that everyone can influence, life goals and compassion, and finally, work and mutual aid. The organizers emphasized that despite Western societies' tendency to forget the nature from which they come, they are an integral part of the natural world, and humanity's survival depends on the surrounding nature.

After the exposition's conclusion, the pavilion will be dismantled and transported to Awaji Island, recognized as one of Japan's most important ammonite fossil sites. This relocation will allow the structure to find its permanent home in a location that historically connects to its ammonite-inspired design, creating a lasting legacy that bridges the exposition's themes with Japan's geological heritage.