Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion

Osaka Expo 2025
Colombia Pavilion

MORF Inc.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui

ARCHITECTS
MORF Inc.

PROJECT DIRECTOR
Karim Chahal

CHIEF ARCHITECT
Masaki Suzuki

PROJECT ARCHITECTS
Won Sungmin, Gen Kurokawa

LANDSCAPE DESIGN
1moku Landscape Design & Research

ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT
AA-Design Community

STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Ando Imagineering Group (AIG)

STRUCTURE CONTRACTOR
NS Hi-Parts Co., Ltd.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Sakane Sangyou Inc.

PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT
Ko Oono

MANUFACTURERS
Color Kinetics, C.I. TAKIRON, Koizumi Lighting, NICHIHA, NS Hi-Parts Co., Ltd.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Susumu Matsui, Forward stroke Inc, MORF

AREA
584 m²

YEAR
2025

LOCATION
Osaka, Japan

CATEGORY
Pavilion

English description provided by the architects.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui

"MANY YEARS LATER, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice." — G. García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (translated by Gregory Rabassa).

In One Hundred Years of Solitude, the Colombian Nobel Prize-winning author G. García Márquez vividly captures, through his magic realism, the moment a boy witnesses ice for the first time in the mythical town of Macondo.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui

Drawing inspiration from this poignant scene, the Colombian Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo embraces the concept of ICE CUBE, featuring a façade design composed of numerous translucent cubes set in various directions, to convey a sense of movement and articulation.

At first, the façade presents the visitors with an unlikely association between the country of Colombia and Ice Cubes, only for this connection to unravel as the visitors venture through the pavilion.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© MORF
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui

The façade ice cubes are constructed from semi-transparent polycarbonate panels and illuminated with lights that can be color-controlled, allowing the façade to take on different expressions throughout the day and night.

This dynamic lighting will captivate visitors' attention, serving as a platform to showcase Colombian culture during the Expo.

Inside the pavilion, visitors can savor Colombian coffee, a national specialty, at a bar counter located in the entrance hall.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Forward stroke Inc

Given the temporary nature of Expo pavilions, the design focused on a short construction period, low cost, and recyclable materials.

The main structure was built using a prefabricated light steel frame system, sitting on a floating foundation to mitigate the limitations of the soil conditions on site.

The simple, spacious structure of the light steel frame system allows for flexibility in accommodating various exhibitions, while part of the dug-out space for the floating foundation is efficiently utilized as a mezzanine floor for back-of-house areas.

Combining the story-driven façade design with a practical, environmentally sustainable main building, the Colombia Pavilion stands as a fitting and striking presence at the Expo—a place where different cultures converge.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Forward stroke Inc

At the same time, the decision to utilize a modular prefabricated light steel structure was driven not only by the need to accelerate construction but also by a vision for the pavilion's life beyond the temporary Expo event.

Its distinctive structural design ensures adaptability, enabling a seamless transition to a more permanent setting beyond the Expo grounds. Discussions are already underway to define the next chapter of its journey.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui

In terms of Exhibition Design, the Pavilion offers an experience of "Colombia, the Country of Beauty" through the lens of Magical Realism.

In One Hundred Years of Solitude, a landmark of Latin American literature and a Nobel Prize-winning work by Gabriel García Márquez, the Yellow Butterfly appears as a symbol that bridges reality and fantasy.

Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
© Susumu Matsui

Inspired by this, the Yellow Butterfly has been chosen as the symbolic guide of the Colombia Pavilion throughout its immersive exhibition spaces.


Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
East Elevation
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
North Elevation
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
North-South Section


Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
Plan
Osaka Expo 2025 Colombia Pavilion
Axonometric