German Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka – „Wa! Germany!“
Client: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz
Year: 2025
Pavilions and world exhibitions
Under the title “Wa! Germany!”, Germany will be presenting itself at Expo 2025 in Osaka with a pavilion that brings the principles of the circular economy to life. The architecture, exhibition, garden, and visitor guidance are consistently designed according to the guiding principle of the circular economy—making the pavilion itself a walk-in example of forward-looking sustainability.
Circular architecture
The architecture follows a clear principle: the cycle. The German Pavilion thus demonstrates a paradigm shift in construction: modular, demountable, and largely made from locally sourced, rented, or reusable materials. Inspired by the tradition of German half-timbered houses, a modern wooden structure has been created, whose compartments are filled with innovative materials such as pressed hemp, rammed earth, or mycelium. These raw materials can be recycled without leaving any residue and at the same time give the building a natural, organic aesthetic.
Large parts of the back office disappear into the topography, allowing the landscape to grow beyond the building. Architecture and nature enter into dialogue—a new aesthetic emerges in which building culture and ecology are inextricably linked. The surrounding garden is itself designed as a circular system: plants are borrowed for the duration of the Expo and then returned to local nurseries.
An immersive journey into the circular economy
Inside, visitors are greeted by an immersive exhibition that conveys the theme of the circular economy in a sensory, playful, and future-oriented way. The tour begins in a green biosphere—a positive vision for a livable future in which nature is presented as the original model of circularity. From here, the path leads to three immersive rooms: In “Circular Living,” visitors use artificial intelligence to design utopian urban landscapes and make decisions that visualize future scenarios. “Circular Economy” presents a universe of circular products and innovations in which analog and digital levels intertwine. Finally, the “Circular Me” room invites personal reflection: What role do I myself play in a circular society?
Back in the biosphere, interactive stations present specific projects from Germany. Visitors can try on circular fashion, work together to maintain a digital food system, or playfully immerse themselves in the hydrogen economy. Complex topics are made accessible through edutainment, and knowledge is imparted through participation and play.
The garden also follows the principle of circularity. As a space surrounding the building where the sixteen federal states present themselves with modular and interactive stations, it is designed as a living ecosystem whose plants will be returned to local nurseries after the Expo ends. In this way, the outdoor space becomes a regenerative landscape model that continues the logic of natural cycles.
Circular – your personal guide through the exhibition
A special companion on the journey through the exhibition is the Circular – a round, friendly character inspired by Japanese kawaii culture. Each guest receives their own Circular at the entrance, which explains, asks questions, or even initiates conversation in simple, accessible language. Sometimes interactive, sometimes narrative, it makes the content understandable, approachable, and personal. At the end of the exhibition, the Circulars slide back to the entrance – a playful symbol of the fact that in a circular world, there is no end. After the Expo, they will be given a second life: as learning and programming kits for schools, bringing the topic of the circular economy into everyday education.
Sustainable beyond the Expo
The circularity does not end with the Expo. The building will be rebuilt at another location, the exhibition will tour Germany as a traveling show, and many exhibits are designed for a second life right from the start. The German Pavilion at Expo 2025 is thus more than just an exhibition venue. It is a living prototype for a regenerative future – open, inspiring, and full of cycles in which everyone can participate.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) is responsible for Germany's participation in Expo 2025 Osaka. The BMWK has commissioned Koelnmesse GmbH with the organization and operation of the German Pavilion. The concept, planning, and realization of the German Pavilion are the responsibility of the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Pavillon Expo 2025 Osaka” (German Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka Working Group), consisting of the two companies facts and fiction GmbH (Cologne) and GL events (Lyon and Japan). facts and fiction is responsible for the content concept and the exhibition and media design, while GL events is responsible for the construction. The architecture and spatial concept were designed by LAVA – Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (Berlin).
Photographs: © Stefan Schilling
