Throughout the decades, German Expo Pavilions have famously reflected the theme of the pavilion in its architecture:
One glance at the circle-shaped structural elements made of wood instantly emotes the leitmotif of circularity.
In the draft, two ensembles of cylindrical structural elements housing the exhibition and hospitality areas merge to frame a freely accessible park full of greenery, inviting visitors to lounge or explore beyond the exhibition itself.
The pavilion’s event stage is located in this outside area.
The Pavilion offers a walkable exhibit that exemplifies how impactful architecture and urban development can promote sustainability and circularity.
In fact, the construction industry had generated around 115 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 2021.
Despite the fact that emissions were reduced compared to the previous years, the building sector continues to exceed the permissible annual emission budgets set by the German Federal Climate Change Act that puts a cap at 113 the million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (source:
BMWK). In Germany, buildings account for around 35 per cent of Germany’s energy consumption and around one third of its CO₂ emissions
(source: German Environment Agency [Umweltbundesamt, UBA]).
Therefore, we need to fundamentally rethink the way we design, produce and operate our built environment; but above all, how we post-purpose or repurpose it.
Therein lies enormous and unharnessed potential to help us achieve the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals.
With this in mind, the German Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka is designed to serve as a prototype in myriad ways:
Its buildings are completely round, and all the materials are reusable or recyclable.
- Innovative circular materials
- Minimisation of use
- Intelligent indoor climate design
- Park as a functional landscape
By embodying circular and sustainable construction principles, the German Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka will serve as a model exhibit in its own right.
It unites architecture, landscape and exhibition holistically and, by creating a unique visitor experience, points the way into a circular future.
GL events, a general contractor headquartered in France with an office in Japan, is responsible for the construction of the German Pavilion. Together with the creative agency, facts and fiction, GL events form the “German Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka Consortium”. This Consortium cooperates with the Berlin architectural firm LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture), which is responsible for the pavilion’s architecture and spatial design.
For more information on the theme of sustainability, click here.
Additional information about the pavilion’s architecture will be made available for download here soon.