Architects: ATELIER BRÜCKNER
Area: 1272 m²
Year: 2025
Photography: Josef Šindelka
Lead Architects: Shirin Frangoul-Brückner, Jannis Renner, Nils Scheffler, Irina Stepanova, Kathrin-Milic Grunwald
Design Team: Sayaka Koike
Engineering & Consulting – Services: NÜSSLI Group, medienprojekt p2, Tamschick Media+Space
Engineering & Consulting – Lighting: KLEE Technisches Planungsbüro
Manufacturers: Miyako Yogyo, SHIDO
City: Osaka
Country: Japan

The Uzbekistan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, designed by ATELIER BRÜCKNER, interprets the theme of knowledge as a spatial journey unfolding from an enclosed earthen base to an open timber canopy. Conceived as a temporary structure with a defined post-Expo afterlife, the 1,272 square meter pavilion integrates modular construction, locally sourced materials, and circular building strategies. The ground floor exhibition space employs clay, brick, and earthen finishes to create a thermally stable and immersive interior environment, while the upper terrace is formed by a lightweight grid of timber columns and a modular pergola that provide passive shading and natural ventilation. A multimedia installation accompanies visitors along a rising central platform, reinforcing the narrative of growth and transformation. After the Expo, key timber elements will be reassembled in Nukus, Uzbekistan, as a children’s library and community space, extending the pavilion’s cultural and material legacy.

Uzbekistan pavilion expo 2025 osaka / atelier brückner

Set on Yumeshima, the artificial island developed for Expo 2025 Osaka, the Uzbekistan Pavilion establishes a composed architectural presence within a dense field of temporary national structures. Rather than competing through formal exuberance, the project advances a restrained material and spatial language, positioning architecture itself as the primary storytelling device.

Commissioned by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, the pavilion communicates a narrative of transformation grounded in cultural continuity. The concept of growth informs the entire composition, structuring the building as a vertical progression from earth to canopy, from origin to collective future. This metaphor operates simultaneously at the level of plan, section, and material expression.

The ground floor forms a compact and introverted base that houses the main exhibition. Constructed with clay, brick, and earthen finishes, the envelope draws on traditional building materials while delivering thermal mass and humidity regulation. The limited introduction of daylight reduces solar gain and supports controlled interior conditions suited to immersive scenographic installations addressing sustainability, education, and innovation.

At the center of the plan, a rising platform connects the enclosed exhibition hall to the open terrace above. This vertical circulation element becomes an experiential device, accompanied by a 360 degree multimedia projection that transforms movement into narrative. As visitors ascend, light, sound, and imagery extend the thematic exploration of knowledge, craftsmanship, and progress.

The spatial transition culminates in a marked shift of atmosphere. Emerging from the dense interior, visitors enter a luminous upper level defined by a regular grid of timber columns. The pergola structure introduces a forest-like rhythm, filtering daylight and casting layered shadows that animate the terrace throughout the day.

This upper platform functions as a space for pause and exchange. Its permeability contrasts with the solidity of the base, allowing air and light to circulate freely while visually reconnecting the pavilion to the surrounding Expo grounds. The architectural metaphor of knowledge branching outward finds physical expression in this open, elevated plane.

Material selection reinforces both the conceptual and environmental ambitions of the project. Locally sourced Japanese timber forms the primary structural system, while clay and earth finishes originate from Awaji Island, reducing transportation distances. Reclaimed bricks integrated into the façade further underscore a commitment to resource consciousness and circular construction.

Crucially, the pavilion’s lifecycle extends beyond its temporary role in Osaka. Designed for disassembly, key timber components, including the pergola, will be reassembled in Nukus, Uzbekistan, where they will form a children’s library and community hub. Through this deliberate continuity, the Uzbekistan Pavilion transforms the ephemeral condition of Expo architecture into a lasting framework for learning and cultural exchange.