first look at saudi arabia's expo 2025 osaka pavilion design

unveiling saudi arabia pavilion design for expo 2025 osaka

Foster + Partners offers a first look at its Saudi Arabia pavilion design for the highly anticipated Expo 2025 Osaka fair. Located on the Yumeshima waterfront, the pavilion creates a spatial experience that echoes the exploration of Saudi Arabia’s desert, towns, and cities, provides a setting for immersive audio-visual engagement, and connects visitors with the undiscovered wonders of The Kingdom. ‘The pavilion takes visitors on a journey of discovery and chance encounters that – layer by layer – paints a vivid picture of Saudi Arabian culture. Our design plays with scale, light, sound and texture to stimulate all of the senses, while showcasing some of the country’s most innovative and exciting accomplishments,’ shares the firm’s head of studio, Luke Fox.

all renderings © Foster + Partners

foster + partner’s low-carbon and solar powered concept

The Saudi Arabia pavilion’s massing recalls the organic shapes of traditional Saudi villages; Foster + Partners (see more here) carefully designed it using computational fluid dynamics simulations, to allow cool winds from the west into the streets during the height of summer. In the cooler months of April and October, the landscaped forecourt acts as a barrier to protect the pavilion from harsher northerly winds. Visitors enter the Expo 2025 Osaka pavilion through a verdant forecourt, planted with Saudi Arabian flora, and walk through narrow streets that lead to the Saudi Courtyard, which is the beating heart of the scheme. The courtyard allows for moments of quiet reflection during the day and transforms into a venue for performances and events at night. From here, visitors get to explore a ‘village’ of meandering streets, with windows and doorways into a series of immersive spaces, designed in close collaboration with 59 Productions and Squint/Opera.

the pavilion’s massing recalls the organic shapes of traditional Saudi villages

The pavilion is made from low carbon materials, includes energy saving luminaires, adopts rainwater recycling and incorporates photovoltaic technologies that generate electricity. The project aims to achieve the Japanese green building rating system’s highest level and is on track to achieve the Net Zero Operational Carbon target. In addition, the addition of a series of WELL design principles will uplift the occupants’ health and wellbeing. ‘Creating a legacy for the pavilion, once the Expo comes to an end, has been central to the design process. The structure’s cladding is made from lightweight Saudi stone and designed to be efficiently deconstructed and reassembled, or completely reconfigured, to meet different requirements in a future location,’ adds F+P partner Tony Miki. This inherent flexibility will significantly extend the lifespan of the pavilion and enhances its sustainable credentials.

using low carbon materials