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Architects: WOO Architects
- Area: 1760 m²
- Year: 2025
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Photographs:Hufton + Crow
Text description provided by the architects. The UK Government's Pavilion at World Expo 2025 Osaka opens to the public on 13th April 2025. It has been designed by London-based WOO architects (WOO) to showcase British innovations that have changed the world. WOO is a world leader in designing temporary and demountable structures and has created the pavilion in collaboration with ES Global, a specialist design and build contractor of venues and relocatable architecture internationally. Offering a journey through time from the Industrial Revolution to the present day and beyond, the eye-catching pavilion skilfully mixes aspects of heritage with cutting-edge design, perfectly capturing the Expo's theme, Come Build the Future.
Situated in a prime location directly overlooking the water plaza, the UK Pavilion proudly embraces its setting at the southern edge of the Expo site. The pavilion's carefully considered design ensures a welcoming atmosphere, with terraces strategically placed to offer unparalleled panoramic views of the lagoon. This perfect vantage point provides visitors with an ideal space to relax and enjoy the breathtaking water and air show. The pavilion and the gardens take full advantage of the wide plot creating an inspiring and tranquil setting, reflecting the essence of the British landscape. Blending natural beauty with simplicity, it offers visitors a serene and immersive experience and is a natural testament to the deep-rooted connection between the UK and Japan. The landscape invites visitors to explore, connect, and be inspired.
Clad in a powder-coated aluminum facade, the facade's parametric design forms a dynamic, pixelated pattern. The articulated block pattern of folded perforated panels envelops the structure, subtly shifting in appearance throughout the day as light interacts with its surface. After dark, the building is transformed, as light animates the perforated facade to reveal the Union Jack flag behind it. Dynamic programming brings the flag 'to life', creating a rippling effect reminiscent of the fabric moving in the wind. For evening events, the facade lighting can shift to a more pixelated animation, playfully referencing the UK's animated mascot, PIX.
The pavilion's layered, tessellated veil takes its cue from the early innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Perforated panels echo the punched cards once used in textile looms - an early form of programmable technology that shaped intricate fabric patterns. This delicate skin pays tribute to the textile industries that fuelled industrial revolutions in both the UK and Japan, weaving together a shared legacy of innovation with a bold, digital-age vision. Those same punched motifs reappeared in the inventions of British pioneers like Charles Babbage, who used them in his mechanical computer and Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer. Over time, these patterns evolved into the binary code and pixels that now underpin Britain's globally recognized film and gaming industries - linking past and present through the language of pattern, precision and progress.
Designed with future use in mind, the fully relocatable and efficient 10-meter x 10-meter modular grid structure will be repurposed after the event, reducing waste and supporting a circular economy. ES Global delivered the pavilion using its innovative Global Modular System and lightweight foundation system to prioritize flexibility and sustainability. The interior design, created by WOO in collaboration with Stuart Forbes Associates, includes a wide variety of programmed spaces including galleries, gift shops, conference spaces, terrace bar and tea rooms, brought together with a harmonious and refined design language. At the heart of the Pavilion is the Come Build the Future Exhibition, designed by Immersive International. The 20-minute visitor journey showcases the UK's creative culture and innovation. At the ground level, the pavilion is open, permeable and welcoming, encouraging visitors to seamlessly connect with both the gardens and interior spaces.
The pavilion and the gardens take full advantage of the wide plot creating an inspiring and tranquil setting, reflecting the essence of the British landscape. Blending natural beauty with simplicity, it offers visitors a serene and immersive experience and is a natural testament to the deep-rooted connection between the UK and Japan.
Emma Owens, Director of WOO and lead designer of the UK Pavilion said, 'The pavilion's design celebrates Britain at a pivotal moment; our global reputation for innovation and creativity shines through, while the playful facade reflects our innate curiosity and ability to find opportunity in every challenge.
'This is a space where a rich historic narrative comes alive, and we hope it inspires conversations about British resilience and industriousness for years to come
'Borrowing from iconic designs from industrial design to textiles, our work on the UK pavilion is inspired by our nation's rich heritage of innovation, technology and creativity. We hope that visitors will agree that the UK Pavilion stands as an eye-catching and elegant structure at Expo 2025 Osaka.'
Carolyn Davidson, The UK's Commissioner General for Expo 2025, said, "From the creation of the power loom to the invention of the world's first computer, the UK's rich history of innovation and invention has provided the world with ideas and products we can't live without for hundreds of years. But what we often forget is that each of these world-changing solutions started out with a simple idea.
"For Expo 2025, the UK invites visitors to experience a modern, innovative, and uniquely British pavilion that embodies the concept that every simple idea has the power to become something brilliant. Come Build The Future with us at the UK Pavilion."
