The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka sets a new global standard for what a temporary venue can achieve. More than an architectural structure, it is a living cultural ecosystem that fuses heritage, innovation, and sustainability into one coherent experience.
At the heart of the pavilion’s design is its ability to embody both the past and future of Saudi Arabia. Inspired by traditional towns with shaded alleys, organic volumes, and a central courtyard, the pavilion captures the spirit of hospitality and cultural depth. Yet this heritage-driven form is reinterpreted through advanced technology and engineering, creating a design that is both authentic and progressive.
The pavilion’s most groundbreaking achievement is its status as the first temporary structure in the world to achieve the WELL Health & Safety Rating. Traditionally reserved for permanent buildings, this certification highlights the project’s human-centric approach, prioritising clean air, accessibility, and overall well-being in a short-term architectural context. This achievement demonstrates that temporary structures can and should meet the same high standards as permanent ones.
Innovation in construction was central to meeting the compressed four-month timeline. Using Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) principles, prefabricated modules were produced while groundwork was already underway in Osaka. This parallel approach enabled rapid progress without sacrificing precision. A BIM-driven workflow ensured seamless integration of structural, technical, and immersive systems, allowing the pavilion to open on time while exceeding expectations.
Sustainability guided every stage of the project. The structure is fully designed for disassembly and reuse, ensuring it will live on beyond Expo 2025. Locally sourced lightweight Saudi stone composite cladding reduced environmental impact while maintaining cultural authenticity. Renewable energy systems, including photovoltaic panels and rainwater harvesting, contribute to net-zero operational carbon. Passive design, enhanced by computational fluid dynamics modelling, enables natural ventilation and climate comfort without reliance on energy-intensive HVAC systems.
Equally innovative is the visitor experience, created with global partners like 59 Productions and Squint/Opera. Large-scale projections, interactive media, and spatial audio transport guests on a journey through Saudi Arabia’s past, present, and future. The central courtyard offers daytime tranquility before transforming at night into a vibrant stage for music, storytelling, and cultural expression. This dual functionality ensures the pavilion is not just seen, but experienced as a dynamic cultural hub.
The pavilion’s impact has been immediate and measurable. Within just two months of opening, it welcomed over 1 million visitors, including a record 17,363 guests in one day during Golden Week. More than 175 events were hosted in its first 60 days, positioning the pavilion as both a cultural showcase and a global meeting point. Visitor feedback has consistently praised the immersive experiences, comfort, and accessibility — confirming the success of its human-centric design approach.
Ultimately, the Saudi Pavilion is innovative because it redefines what temporary architecture can achieve. It proves that sustainability, wellness, and cultural depth can coexist in a fast-track, temporary structure. It transforms circular design from concept into reality by enabling full reuse of materials. It sets new benchmarks for human-centric design by achieving WELL certification in a pavilion context. And it delivers all of this while creating a memorable, immersive visitor experience that presents Saudi Arabia as both deeply rooted in tradition and bold in innovation.
For these reasons, the Saudi Pavilion stands as a model for future expos and beyond — a unique fusion of legacy, innovation, sustainability, and storytelling that will continue to resonate long after Expo 2025.
Partners
- Foster + Partners – Led the architectural design of the pavilion, shaping the organic form inspired by traditional Saudi towns and ensuring passive, climate-responsive performance through advanced modelling.
- Squint/Opera – Developed immersive digital storytelling and content design, bringing Saudi Arabia’s narrative of past, present, and future to life.
- 59 Productions – Designed and implemented large-scale projections, interactive digital media, and spatial audio to create a multi-sensory visitor journey.
- Rimond – Acted as project director and main contractor, overseeing construction, site coordination, and delivery against the fast-track Expo timeline.
- BeWunder – Responsible for the complete audio-visual and lighting system, including detailed design, technical engineering, procurement, delivery, installation, and commissioning. Provided preventive and reactive maintenance during the Expo phase, while ensuring seamless integration with exhibition fit-out, MEP, and base build. Worked closely with exhibition designers and content partners to evolve the AV system in alignment with their creative vision.
