Platinum Event and Happening Design · 2026
The Netherlands Pavilion World Expo 2025
- A' Design Award 2026 Platinum Winner in Event and Happening Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Netherlands Enterprise Agency and AND B.V.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 991,148
- Verification code 5AD4C9F87C · Verify this award
About The Netherlands Pavilion World Expo 2025
The Netherlands Pavilion is an exhibition pavilion built for the World Expo 2025 in Osaka. The pavilion presents the historic shift of the Netherlands from resisting water to using water as an ally in clean energy, climate adaptation and sustainable living. Each visitor receives an Orb, a handheld sphere that guides the route and activates interactive installations, including a 360 degree dome film created with generative artificial intelligence. The structure is designed for disassembly, so all components can be reused after the exposition.
The Netherlands Pavilion World Expo 2025, designed by Netherlands Enterprise Agency and AND B.V., exemplifies a distinctive approach to exhibition architecture that synthesizes material innovation with atmospheric experience, positioning itself within contemporary discourse surrounding responsive envelopes, experiential placemaking, and the phenomenology of architectural light. The pavilion's most striking formal achievement resides in its horizontally articulated screen façade, which employs what appears to be continuous ribbon-like elements flowing in wave patterns across the building's primary elevation, creating a surface that simultaneously functions as enclosure, solar mediation, visual identity, and sculptural expression. This woven architectural skin participates in traditions extending from mashrabiya screens through contemporary parametric façade systems, yet achieves a distinctly organic quality suggesting natural phenomena such as water ripples, wind-shaped dunes, or stratified geological formations. The luminous spherical form rising through and above this screen establishes a powerful symbolic and experiential focal point, its soft rose-pink radiance creating a beacon effect that transforms the building into a lantern-like presence within the twilight landscape. Technical accomplishment is evident in the seamless integration of the illuminated sculptural element with the façade system, the sphere appearing to emerge through a purposefully shaped aperture where the horizontal striations curve and part to accommodate its form. The warm amber light visible through ground-level glazing suggests inviting interior spaces, establishing a graduated luminosity from exterior twilight through the pink transitional glow to the welcoming warmth within. The composition invites contemplation of architecture's capacity to mediate between interior and exterior, between solid and void, between the technological and the organic, ultimately asking visitors to consider how built environments might create moments of wonder and connection within the contemporary world.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The pavilion's uniqueness lies in its story-driven design. Every element from spatial layout to visitor interaction is crafted to immerse guests in a coherent narrative. Each visitor receives an Orb, a unique storytelling device that powers a range of interactive installations throughout the pavilion including The Main Show, the world’s first AI-generated 360° dome film. The architecture itself is also a part of the narrative and designed for disassembly, allowing all components to be reused after the exposition.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Length 40m x Width 15.5m x Height 9.3 m (together with sphere 13.8m). Area:1.157m2.
- Tags
- Immersive Experience, Interactive Installations, Common Ground, Netherlands Pavilion, Circular Building, Multisensory Storytelling, Experience Design, World Expo 2025
- Production Technology
- Notable installations showcasing cutting-edge technology include the 360° dome film created entirely with generative AI. It explores the Netherlands’ deep connection to water, through conceptual visuals that would traditionally rely on CGI and VFX-intensive post-production. Designed with specific focal points to minimise motion sickness, the experience is enhanced by the Orbs, which synchronises via infrared to flash coordinated colours and patterns, adding a tactile layer to the immersion.
- Design Challenge
- The biggest challenge was translating complex technical innovations into clear, engaging narratives for a broad audience. Balancing accuracy with accessibility required careful consideration. Internally, selecting cases that aligned with the Pavilion’s narrative and supported Netherlands-Japan political and economic relations was demanding. Externally, legal constraints, production feasibility, and limited public awareness of emerging technologies posed significant obstacles.
- Project Duration
- The project started in May 2023 in the Netherlands and completed in April 2025 in Osaka, and has been exhibited at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka from April 13th to October 13th.
- Operation Flow
- The Netherlands Pavilion offers an immersive journey powered by storytelling using interactive technology. Each visitor begins experience by activating the Orb at the Check-In Mirror. As they move through space, the Orb guides and responds to their presence. At the Pledge Station, visitors step into a circle to co-create a generative artwork of synchronised light and sound. This collective moment transforms the pavilion’s message into a shared, memorable call to action.
- Research
- A core focus of the design research for the Netherlands Pavilion was to explore Dutch water-related innovations. The goal was to identify cutting-edge technologies with global significance particularly for Japan. Through extensive research and expert collaboration, data was collected via meetings, workshops and reviews. Using interviews, documentation, and prototyping, the research revealed top innovators and shaped ways to clearly communicate complex technology to a broad audience at Expo 2025.
- Inspiration
- The Netherlands Pavilion is inspired by the nation’s historic shift from resisting water to embracing it as an ally in clean energy, climate adaptation, and sustainable living. This transformation forms the basis of a narrative that shows how innovation and collective action can shape a better future. At its heart is the concept of Common Ground, a mindset forged through centuries of Dutch water management. This spirit drives the design, seamlessly uniting both interior and exterior.
- Image Credits
- Copyrights and IP of the Guest Experience and Media belong to Tellart. Main Image #1: Photographer Zhu Yumeng, Optional Image #1: Photographer Tellart, Optional Image #2: Photographer Zhu Yumeng, Optional Image #3: Photographer Tellart, Optional Image #4: Photographer Tellart.
Video Credits: Tellart - Patents
- Copyrights and IP of the Building belong to RAU Architects (2025).