coldefy and carlo ratti unveil winning design for french pavilion at expo 2025 osaka

first look at expo 2025 osaka’s french pavilion design

French architecture studio Coldefy and Italian group Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) unveil the winning design of the French Pavilion at the Expo Osaka 2025 fair, titled Theatrum Naturae, or Theatre of Nature, reconfigured to show France’s contribution to culture and the natural environment in the 21st century. The proposed pavilion illustrates how design bridges the gap between human and non-human life across the planet on our planet, welcoming them into our natural and artificial habitats. It brings France’s multiple ecosystems to the fore, making them an integral part of the building and the visitors’ path.

all images courtesy Coldefy

a three-act experience by coldefy and carlo ratti associati

The French Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka is being developed by Coldefy (see more here) and CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, alongside RIMOND Group as the main contractor and Japanese firm Yasui Sekkei as the engineering and local compliance expertise. Together, the team envision a single pathway celebrating human senses and taking visitors through the Pavilion. This creates an experience divided into three acts: Ascent, Discovery of Nature, and Return to the Ground. Rising from ground level in an ‘arc de scène’, the journey begins by taking a winding staircase that morphs into an observation balcony, before crossing a curtain threshold to reveal an infinite loop. This loop allows for a complete exploration of the interior space, encompassing its entire volume, before opening onto the verdant terrace. 

entrance to the French Pavilion by Coldefy and Carlo Ratti Associati

The journey culminates on the French Pavilion’s rooftop, featuring a landscaped garden resembling a slice of nature serving as a protective barrier above the building —a space of common ground welcoming all living species. As visitors walk through the garden, they witness the different environs of France, from the mountains to the coast. It represents the climax of the narrative, akin to the conclusion of a play that reveals the vital realization of our connection to nature. Designed within a circular architectural approach, the pavilion is not only a red thread linking the many aspects of French human and more-than-human life. It also joins prefabricated and natural elements, embedding its existence in a virtuous loop of reuse and recycling that extends far beyond the fleeting timeframe of the Expo 2025 Osaka. 

celebrating the French savoir-faire, putting it front and center stage at Expo 2025 Osaka

‘The French Pavilion invites visitors
to enter the theater of life. Both actors and spectators in this production, visitors traverse a path through the Pavilion that stages the essential symbiosis between humanity and its environment, ultimately urging them to become aware of the vital necessity of our connection to nature,’ reflects Thomas Coldefy, founding partner of Coldefy. Adding to his words, Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA and newly appointed Curator of the Biennale Architettura 2025, also emphasizes the need for redefining how natural and artificial elements come together in expos amidst the current climate crisis. In addressing the evolving role, he suggests exploring novel approches to joining various forms of intelligence, be it organic or technological. 

the pavilion can be explored from side to side, but also from the ground up to the roof garden

an assembled machine of prefab components and natural element

overlooking the pavilion from the Expo 2025 Osaka Ring

envisioning a winding staircase

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axonometric overview

axonometric - program

axonometric - landscape

axonometric - facade

axonometric - pathways

project info:

name: French Pavilion – World Expo Osaka 2025

location: Osaka, Japan

architects: Coldefy | @coldefy.fr and Carlo Ratti Associati | @crassociati

team: Thomas Coldefy, Isabel Van Haute, Zoltan Neville, Martin Mercier, Marianna Guarino,
Léo Akahori, Leonardo Ronchi, Shuai Wang, Carlo Ratti, Andrea Cassi (partner in charge), Ina Sefgjini,
Gizem Veral, Jelena Kro, Gabriele Sacchi, Alba Leon Alvarez, Marie Petrault, Antoine Picon
local architect & engineer: Yasui Sekkei

project owner: Cofrex
general contractor: Rimond

competition partners: Bollinger + Grohmann (structural engineers) Coloco (landscape architects), 

Ramboll (environmental engineers), de_form (graphics/signage)

total area: 3,600 sqm 
delivery: 2025