The Pavilion of the Czech Republic for the 2025 Osaka Expo Explores Movement and Spirituality

Apropos Architects has won the competition to design the Czech Republic Pavilion at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The architecture of the intervention prioritizes movement as a crucial component of preserving physical health.

The pavilion's content demands a creative connection with spiritual and cultural ideals while openly urging visitors to engage in physical activity. It focuses on the concept that the movement of the body and the soul can shape a place, with a dynamic ascending spiral designed as a metaphor for the ideal life path. As visitors actively move within the pavilion, the cultural content materializes, culminating in a journey that generates lasting inner energy.

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The planned pavilion garners attention in all weather conditions with its impressive glass exterior, highlighting its prominent location on the edge of the coastal promenade. It pays homage to the long tradition of glassmaking in the Czech Republic and offers unique display rooms with ever-changing interior ambiances.


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The pavilion's design holds great significance. The frozen spiral trajectory directly corresponds to the internal arrangement that shapes the exterior of the house. The accessible spiral ramp encompasses the exhibition space, revolving around the central element of the hollow multifunctional auditorium tube. This tube has a diameter of fifteen and a half meters and reaches a height of twelve meters above ground level. Alongside it, the exhibition ramp ascends, accompanied by a seating ramp that creates an auditorium within the auditorium, accessible from various points along the spiral.

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Czech Republic Pavilion at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Image Courtesy of Apropos Architects - Renders by ZAN Studio

Following a logical sequence around the auditorium, the spiral functions as an exhibition and communication ramp, allowing visitors to ascend smoothly and in a linear fashion. The exhibition space on the ramp spans 402 square meters, and the ramp's width varies between 1.8 and seven meters. At the twelve-meter mark, the ramp transitions into a spacious viewing terrace, complete with a restaurant and bar. This additional space offers a serene view of the sea surface and a glimpse through the glass skylight into the auditorium.

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Czech Republic Pavilion at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Image Courtesy of Apropos Architects - Renders by ZAN Studio

A staircase, integrated into the cavity of the double walls of the cylinder, provides a path down to the ground floor of the commercial building, which also serves as an integral part of the exhibition, serving as its final chapter. The structural concept revolves around a regular framing system of CLT wooden panels, forming a continuous structure that harmonizes with the chosen spiral exhibition ramp. The ramp is divided into thirty-six segments within a single revolution around the auditorium. This division ensures sufficient construction readiness, ease of disassembly, and transportability.

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Czech Republic Pavilion at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Image Courtesy of Apropos Architects - Renders by ZAN Studio

Adhering to the exhibition grounds' overall concept, the pavilion's primary energy source is electricity. Rainwater is collected from the paved areas and reused after necessary modifications. The pavilion's geometry actively contributes to shading indoor and outdoor spaces, aided by integrated screen blinds. A central air conditioning unit is also installed in the utility room and connected to a central cooling source. The project is meant to be completed in the year 2025, serving as the Pavilion of the Czech Republic at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka.

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Czech Republic Pavilion at the Universal World EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Image Courtesy of Apropos Architects - Renders by ZAN Studio

In 2018, The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) declared Osaka, Japan as the chosen host for the 2025 World Expo, a highly anticipated gathering projected to attract millions of attendees. The expo is scheduled to commence on April 13, 2025, and conclude on October 13, 2025. This will be Japan’s second time hosting the event, as another World Expo was held in Osaka in 1970. The Brazilian Pavilion for Expo Osaka 2025 will be designed by Studio MK27.

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Cite: Nour Fakharany. "The Pavilion of the Czech Republic for the 2025 Osaka Expo Explores Movement and Spirituality" 23 May 2023. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1001035/the-pavilion-of-the-czech-republic-for-the-2025-osaka-expo-explores-movement-and-spirituality> ISSN 0719-8884

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