World Expo 2025 will be held in Osaka, Kansai, Japan and the theme of this edition is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”. One of the most appealing aspects of the Expo is the pavilions from many countries, which incorporate a series of cultural components. After the international pavilion competitions concluded, Studio MK27 and Magnetoscope were selected to design the Brazil Pavilion for the exhibition.
The Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (ApexBrasil) held a competition to design the Brazil Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. The winning proposal was led by architect Marcio Kogan. This winning proposal was selected among a highly competitive field of applicants, demonstrating Kogan’s exceptional design skills and creative vision. Professionals from Magnetoscope and MK27 have signed the project. Along with Kogan, other contributors include the architects Marcello Dantas and Renata Furlanetto.
The pavilion’s three floors explore water as the origin of life through the use of flying rivers and massive clouds of water that float over Brazilian soil. The volume projects a distinctive horizon curve as a canopy supported by porticos. A solid central nucleus is contained within it, and it is encircled by a metallic curtain made of a fluid weave that moves with the wind and acts as a shield from the outside world.
The public gets a peek inside the pavilion thanks to a fold in the curtain. A hermetic volume hovers beneath a cloud in this spacious, double-height environment, supported by just two elements: a transparent box and a profoundly reflected tube. The ground floor of the building has a central walkway that serves as the hub of the building’s path. This passage opens up to the first profound experience within the ramps leading to the exhibition level above. The narrative journey of the exhibition already starts on the way between levels, as seen by the lengthy lines that develop in the pavilions. The ramps are a call to both pass by and stay a while. Authorities can then navigate the pavilion to gain access to a private lift and stairwell that go straight to the level above.
The service corridor provides direct access for Expo workers to a side entrance leading to the service facilities and a narrow vertical staircase leading to the administrative floor.
The primary exhibition area is the administrative volume’s roof. Visitors are invited to take a walk on water as part of a sensual and immersive experience thanks to a made-up riverbed that will reflect the exhibition. A dense but transient cloud of vapour appears beneath the canopy, appearing as though it may flood the Osakan soil with Amazon water.
Recognising the difficulties in building for Expo Osaka, the Brazil Pavilion suggests a dry, modular structural structure with simple connections. This approach overcomes the challenges that come with the terrain, the long wait for building supplies, and the labour shortage. The internal box supporting the exhibition space and housing the administrative operations, as well as the pillars, are made of rented metal components that are frequently found in temporary buildings. The biggest benefit of this decision is the minimal carbon footprint it creates. This is because the materials are reused rather than discarded away after the event.
Project Info
Architecture: studio mk27
Curatorship and expography: Magnetoscópio
Curator: Marcello Dantas
Assistant curator: Tarsila riso
Project team: Carlos Costa, Clara Varandas, Diana Radomysler,
Felipe Bueno, Marcella Spinelli, Mariana Simas, Natália Zaffari,
Nathalia Lima, Pedro Ribeiro
Artwork “Morro Mundo”: Laura Vinci
Render: Blackhaus Studio
Structural calculation: Mitsuhiro Kanada
Sustainability Consulting: CA2
Local Architect: Tripod Studio
