‘future life village’ opens at expo 2025 osaka
The Future Life Village pavilion stands at the heart of Expo 2025 Osaka as an official venue organized under the theme of ‘Co-Creation and Dialogue.’ Designed by Japanese studio KOMPAS as a tiny, village-like complex, the pavilion brings together three exhibition programs — Future Life Experience, Team Expo Pavilion, and Best Practices.
Reflecting the Expo’s guiding principle of ‘Decentralization and Dispersion,’ the design draws from the ecological memory of Yumeshima, a reclaimed island transformed into a biodiverse wetland. At its core is a central courtyard that acts as living green infrastructure, symbolizing the cycle of life. Scattered planting beds and ponds highlight individual plant species, encouraging visitors to encounter an environment where people and nature coexist.
images © Yohei Sasakura
gabion walls infuse the structure with landscape
Around the courtyard of Osaka’s Future Life Village, circular exhibition units of varying sizes are positioned along a continuous ring-shaped circulation path. With this configuration, the team at KOMPAS allows each unit to function independently while maintaining a sense of collective unity within the Expo. The ring pathway creates a natural flow of people, and invites visitors to freely explore the village.
Exhibition units facing the courtyard are built with gabion walls, or hollow mesh partitions filled with stone. Constructed with steel rebar trusses and welded mesh, these cage-like walls support ventilation, filter sunlight, and even welcome plant growth. Their infills — vitrified slag stones from incinerated industrial waste and synthetic pumice made from recycled glass — highlight the project’s experimental use of recycled materials and its commitment to sustainability within the urban context of Osaka.
Future Life Village pavilion opens at Expo 2025 Osaka with a design by KOMPAS
experimental pavilion for passive climate strategies
Rainwater and irrigation runoff are collected in a central pond, forming part of a heat exchange system that cools semi-outdoor spaces of the Future Life Village in Osaka. In summer, water is sprinkled over the gabion walls to lend passive cooling, which demonstrates a holistic approach to water circulation and natural climate control. This integration of architecture and landscape establishes the pavilion as an experimental model of sustainable design.
The adjacent public restrooms extend the project’s environmental strategies at a smaller scale. Built with cross-laminated timber roofing and clerestory windows, its circular layout supports efficient circulation and naturally illuminates the interiors.
the project unites three exhibition programs and public facilities in a single complex
a central courtyard reflects the biodiversity of reclaimed Yumeshima Island
a timber restroom facility extends the sustainable design approach
AloJapan.com