EXPO 2025 Osaka has emerged as a global showcase for innovative architecture and immersive spatial design since its opening this spring. After 55 years, Osaka is once again hosting the World Expo, bringing together more than 150 countries to present diverse ideas, innovations, and cultural interpretations centered around the central theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." Each pavilion is organized around three sub-themes: Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives, with installations that express the unique identity and values of their respective regions through distinctive architectural languages.
The pavilions serve as laboratories for future society, utilizing cutting-edge technology to enhance visitor experiences both inside and outside the structures. These installations transform visits through sophisticated integration of light, sound, visuals, and movement as part of the technological innovation showcased at the event. Many pavilions create immersive environments where visual, sound, and lighting elements work together to heighten visitors' perception and engagement with each atmosphere.
BeWunder, a company specializing in multisensory experiences, has played a crucial role in this transformation. Since 2010, beginning with the Shanghai Expo in China, the team has been responsible for designing and delivering multisensory experiences in more than 30 thematic and national pavilions at World Expos. The company collaborates with high-profile design studios and architects to integrate technology with architectural narratives, creating experiences that resonate with global audiences.
The Uzbekistan Pavilion, designed by Atelier Brückner, exemplifies sustainable design with its modular, reusable wooden elements that will later be reconstructed in Uzbekistan as a studio, workshop, or school. The pavilion's design draws inspiration from traditional Uzbek embroidery and patterns, creating a facade that is both symbolic and visually compelling. The installation features multimedia and lighting systems that support the exhibition, including a moving stage that transports visitors between floors while projection content follows seamlessly. Custom ceiling-mounted architectural lighting enhances both interior and exterior spaces.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion, designed by Foster + Partners, blends tradition with a forward-looking perspective, reflecting the Kingdom's heritage while opening possibilities for transformation. Its architecture draws from historical urban structures, resulting in a layered composition enriched with cultural references. The pavilion features a comprehensive multimedia and lighting system that includes detailed design, technical engineering, procurement, delivery, installation, and commissioning, all aligned in close collaboration with exhibition designers and content partners.
The USA Pavilion by Trahan Architects invites visitors to envision a future shaped by collaboration and creativity. Drawing on the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, its architectural form combines two triangular wooden structures with a suspended, illuminated cube. BeWunder delivered the project as a turnkey partner from the early concept phase, providing the full scope from design to fit-out, including integration of multimedia, lighting, and interactive elements that ensure storytelling, technology, and spatial design work in harmony.
Germany's pavilion by LAVA Architects explores the theme of "Circular Economy" under the title "Wa! Germany," drawing on three Japanese meanings of the word Wa: circle, harmony, and wonder. The structure's audiovisual, lighting, and electrical systems were designed and engineered with 1:1 mock-ups conducted to verify integration and functionality before shipment to Osaka. Beyond the main exhibition, BeWunder also operates the cultural stage and provides technical support for the pavilion's cultural program throughout the Expo.
The Netherlands Pavilion by RAU Architects centers on the theme "Common Ground," exploring concepts of openness and cooperation. At its core stands a symbolic artificial sun representing hope and a new beginning, powered by clean, accessible energy. The pavilion's visitor experience combines multimedia, lighting, interactive elements, scenic fit-out, exhibit fabrication, graphics, and signage, with a bespoke interactive sphere system allowing visitors to engage with content dynamically throughout the space.
Portugal's pavilion, designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, explores the ocean as a life-giving resource and cornerstone of sustainability, reflecting Portugal's deep historical, cultural, and economic connections to the sea. The pavilion embodies the theme "Ocean, The Blue Dialogue" and offers an interactive multimedia experience that encourages visitors to engage with the ocean's significance through feasibility studies, value engineering, and comprehensive design and engineering reviews.
The Kuwait Pavilion by LAVA Architects features bold "open wings" symbolizing acceptance and resilience, serving as an architectural homage to openness and progress. Its layered narrative reflects Kuwait's natural beauty, cultural richness, and people-driven future through integrated multimedia, interactive exhibits, and lighting systems that guide visitors through the pavilion's story. Exterior facade and landscape lighting emphasize the pavilion's architecture, enhancing its presence on the Expo site both day and night.
Austria's pavilion by BWM Architects blends music and architecture to explore the Expo's central theme, featuring a monumental spiral sculpture of stacked wooden boards that rises through the space, guiding visitors into the heart of the exhibition. The installation includes a sophisticated 100-channel audio setup that allows visitors to create music collaboratively, interact with exhibition content, and engage directly with the space, transforming it into a responsive, participatory environment.
The Switzerland Pavilion by Manuel Herz Architects focuses on three key themes - Life, Planet, and Augmented Human - through the communication program "Vitality.Swiss." The pavilion invites visitors to engage in conversations and explore ideas for a sustainable and vital future through multimedia and lighting systems that enhance the experience, with integrated lighting animating bubble effects and creating atmosphere throughout the space.
The Philippine Pavilion by Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc. celebrates Filipino heritage, biodiversity, and the nation's sense of community through a facade featuring over 200 handwoven textiles sourced from 18 regions and crafted by Filipino artisans. Inside, visitors encounter a forest of woven artworks and an AI-powered interactive fiesta, with BeWunder serving as the turnkey design and build contractor delivering a fully integrated solution from concept to completion.
The UAE Pavilion by Earth to Ether Collective narrates the story of the United Arab Emirates from its cultural heritage and core values to forward-looking innovations. The pavilion reimagines areesh, a traditional form of Emirati vernacular architecture, while integrating multimedia and lighting systems that support interactive storytelling and cultural showcases, highlighting the UAE's identity, sustainability efforts, and innovative spirit.
Finally, the Luxembourg Pavilion by STDM architectes urbanistes uses "Doki Doki," a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of an excited heartbeat, as its central theme, expressing joyful anticipation and guiding visitors through the space. BeWunder delivered complete multimedia and lighting systems with custom-made LED screens tailored to the pavilion's unique design and spatial requirements, creating an immersive and engaging visitor experience through precise engineering and seamless integration.
As one of the most significant architectural events globally, EXPO 2025 Osaka presents diverse perspectives on designing future society while each structure invites visitors to pause, explore its design, and immerse themselves in the underlying message and experience. With details of EXPO 2030 in Riyadh already being revealed, the current exhibition continues to transform into a celebration of architecture, culture, and innovation, demonstrating how pavilions can serve as bridges between tradition and future possibilities.
