Inside Uzbekistan’s Pavilion at Expo 2025: A Garden of Knowledge

As the world converges on Japan for Expo 2025 Osaka, SEGD is proud to recognize the member firms shaping this global moment through immersive storytelling, bold architecture, and place-based experience design.

  1. Exterior of the Uzbekistan Pavilion showing timber colonnade above a brick base with visitors walking past.

    The Uzbekistan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, designed by ATELIER BRÜCKNER, features a striking forest-like structure of timber columns emerging from a brick and clay base.

  2. Detail view of interlocking timber columns and beams in the Uzbekistan Pavilion against a blue sky.

    A close-up of the timber superstructure reveals the geometric interlocking joints and rhythmic verticality that define the pavilion’s upper terrace—references traditional Uzbek architecture reimagined

At Expo 2025 in Osaka, the Uzbekistan Pavilion tells a story not just of place—but of transformation. Designed by internationally acclaimed studio ATELIER BRÜCKNER, the pavilion acts as both metaphor and mechanism: a space where heritage, learning, and progress unfold as one living, breathing narrative.

For visitors, it’s more than a traditional exhibition—it’s a layered, multisensory journey. And for Uzbekistan, it’s a moment to share a renewed national identity on the world stage. Through immersive media and experiential design, Atelier Brückner has crafted a pavilion that doesn’t simply represent a nation—it expresses it. A garden of knowledge, designed to inspire ideas, exchange, and the future itself.

  1. Interior view of the wooden terrace with dense vertical columns casting shadows on the ground.

    Inside the open-air terrace, a colonnade of sugi wood columns creates a meditative spatial experience—offering shade, structure, and symbolic grounding in nature and tradition.

  2. Upward angle showing the roof detail of timber beams and columns under clear blue sky.

    Framing the sky with a lattice of light and shadow, the pavilion’s wooden canopy acts as both shelter and symbol—a contemporary interpretation of historic temple colonnades.

A Pavilion That Grows Like a Story

The architecture itself sets the tone. Rising from a base of brick and clay—evocative of ancient cities and cultural foundations—a colonnaded wooden terrace lifts skyward, representing growth, openness, and the sharing of ideas. Traditional forms like temple columns are reimagined as modular, sustainable structures sourced locally from sugi wood near Osaka.

It’s a pavilion designed to evolve and return—physically deconstructable, symbolically regenerative. As Dezeen notes, the building “employs reusable materials and a modular structure that will be disassembled after the event.”

“This is not a house of representation,” says Shirin Brückner, 2024 SEGD Fellow and co-founder of Atelier Brückner. “This is a place of invitation, of knowledge, and of joy.” (Dezeen, April 2025)

  1. Dark exhibition space featuring glowing models and wall projections labeled Education, Innovation, and Sustainability.

    Inside “The Soil” exhibition level, illuminated models and infographics introduce Uzbekistan’s initiatives in sustainability, education, and innovation—part of a broader transformation narrative.

  2. A woman observes an interactive model of train seats with a projected window showing Uzbek countryside.

    Visitors explore a projected simulation of Uzbekistan’s expanding transit networks—part of a broader push for sustainable infrastructure and regional connectivity.

The Exhibition: From Soil to Sky

The visitor journey is a layered one—rooted in the earth and lifting toward possibility. On the ground level, titled “The Soil,” guests explore a tactile, data-rich landscape. Digital tools, interactive models, and immersive projections illuminate Uzbekistan’s sustainable future, from clean energy initiatives to cultural preservation efforts.

One section highlights the revitalization of the Aral Sea, supported by the Japanese government—while others showcase educational reforms and cutting-edge urban design, including the New Tashkent project. Each exhibit is a sprout in a field of transformation.

A multimedia mural wraps the space, blending traditional patterns and contemporary infrastructure into an animated, evolving tableau—mirroring the country’s own layered narrative of change.

  1. Panoramic interior projection of richly patterned Islamic architecture surrounding a circular space.

    The immersive 360-degree projection space simulates the Registan madrasahs—part of a kinetic storytelling journey that lifts visitors from the ground floor to the open terrace.

  2. Close-up of lit display plinths with circular buttons and a hand reaching toward one of the illuminated discs.

    Interactive exhibits are embedded in sculptural plinths, each connected through illuminated “roots” that reinforce the garden metaphor of growing knowledge.

A Vertical Story Told in Light, Sound, and Motion

At the heart of the pavilion is a kinetic, multimedia journey from earth to canopy. Visitors step onto a rising platform surrounded by a 360-degree immersive projection. As the platform ascends, glowing “seeds of knowledge” sprout beneath their feet—symbols of Uzbekistan’s cultural roots and emerging innovations. Traditional music and voice blend with kaleidoscopic animations of the Registan madrasahs, gradually giving way to visions of renewable energy projects, modern infrastructure, and vibrant public spaces. 

The journey culminates in a blooming pomegranate tree—Uzbekistan’s national symbol of life and prosperity—rooted in a future-forward landscape of clean energy and connection. As the platform comes to rest, visitors step directly onto the pavilion’s terrace, invited now to become part of the story themselves.

  1. Entrance to the pavilion with detailed brick and tile patterns; a woman interacts with a display niche.

    Crafted from layered brickwork and punctuated with glazed blue tiles, the pavilion’s material palette merges tradition and tactility with contemporary expression.

  2. Side view of pavilion wall with narrow display window showcasing Uzbek ceramics and textiles.

    Blue tile inlays along the pavilion walls nod to Uzbekistan’s architectural heritage, blending digital-era design with ancient craftsmanship.

Design that Embodies Culture

Visual identity is integral to the experience. Drawing on the delicate intricacy of Ganch—Uzbekistan’s historic stucco ornamentation—graphics, typography, and signage are embedded into the architecture. These physical gestures become narrative elements, reinforcing the pavilion’s core message: design can both honor and reframe tradition.

Earthy hues, geometric forms, and a unified visual language support an experience that is both rooted and radiant—just like the pavilion’s home country.

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