Nordic Pavilion

Nordic Pavilion, designed by AMDL CIRCLE and developed in its engineering aspects by RIMOND, represents the model of sustainability and innovation of the Nordic countries on the occasion of Expo 2025 Osaka. The 1,200-square-metre, 17-metres-high space hosts a large exhibition area, a panoramic terrace with restaurant, spaces for meetings and a business centre.
The Sugi wood pavilion draws inspiration from traditional Nordic building forms, such as large barns and Viking longhouses, which embody functional simplicity and harmony with nature. It provides a space to host ideas and solutions for the future, incorporating advanced and interactive technologies. AMDL CIRCLE has designed a house with a recognizable archetypal form thst embraces the theme of the Expo “Designing Future Society for Our Lives” and becomes the symbol of a fertile place for the gathering of people and ideas. The contrast between the intentionally archaic roof and the content projected towards the future is a significant project detail.
The structure is realized with a succession of large portals, connected together by beams and plates guaranteeing lighting and natural ventilation, recalling the passive ventilation of Viking longhouses. The shape of the portals, arched and descending in height, defines the dynamic rhythm of the pavilion; in the rear part, the portals open up to welcome the large terrace for outdoor events. The interior is distributed over three floors and hosts the double-height exhibition room, service spaces, the foyer and the meeting rooms. From the perimeter corridors, thanks to the light and the air filtered by the slanted beams, visitors can experience the atmosphere of an intermediate space, covered but permeable to what is happening outside.
The use of Sugi wood coming from Japanese forests is a choice that is aware – that utilizes a material from the host territory – and is sensitive to the processes of provisioning and construction in situ. The grey tones that characterize the pavilion are obtained from the application of a mixture of persimmon pulp and pine charcoal: a technique using natural pigments to protect the wood, utilizing the process of oxidation over time. This color choice also echoes Nordic tradition, where houses and ships were treated with tar to increase durability and water resistance—a practice that inspired the deep, tactile appearance of the cladding.
With Nordic Pavilion AMDL CIRCLE has designed a structure that is representative of Nordic design, known for the use of wood. The architecture rules out superfluous decoration to focus on the intrinsic beauty of the materials and forms. The project confirms the path followed by the CIRCLE in devising wooden pavilions that are contemporary yet evocative of a collective imagination, ready to welcome reflections on an evolving world, the expression of a clearly recognizable design vocabulary.