Expo 2025 Osaka was envisioned as a global stage for cutting-edge innovation, and nothing symbolized that ambition more than the Grand Ring. Designed by celebrated architect Sou Fujimoto, the structure functioned as a 2-kilometer circular path that unified the entire fair. However, even as the Expo’s legacy is being debated upon its close, this iconic landmark is reportedly facing imminent destruction.
In a recent candid conversation with the online architecture magazine Dezeen, Fujimoto said that, as far as he’s heard, the majority of his architectural marvel will likely be ground into wood chips, then burned for fuel. Authorities have not yet confirmed what portion of the Grand Ring will be dismantled, or how its remains will be repurposed, but it seems that Fujimoto’s studio will not have a say in the Ring’s future, leaving the architect to watch from the sidelines.
The Dismantling of a Masterpiece
Spanning over 61,000 square meters, the Grand Ring made headlines as the world’s biggest wooden structure after its construction. But by early December, just two months after the Expo’s conclusion, demolition crews were already on-site. Fujimoto suggested that the dismantling process is being driven by political decisions rather than environmental logic, calling the plan to burn the timber “the worst thing to do.”
“Japanese political people think this is one of the ways to reuse [the Grand Ring], but I don’t think it is the way you reuse it,” Fujimoto told Dezeen. “But at least so far in Japan, the thinking of the sustainability is a little bit behind the global standards.”
Fujimoto expects that only a tiny fraction of the structure — about 10% (200 meters) — will be saved in its original location. Another 20% might be salvaged for relocation, he says, but as far as he has heard, the remaining 70% will be demolished then made chips for fuel.
Built for a Century, Used for a Season
The most frustrating part for Fujimoto is that the Ring was technically designed to last. It utilized nuki joinery — a traditional Japanese carpentry method that uses interlocking beams instead of nails. This meticulous technique has allowed Japan’s ancient temples to stand for over a thousand years.
Thanks to this design, the Ring was modular and easy to repair. Fujimoto claims that with basic maintenance and some adaptations, the structure could theoretically remain a landmark for 50 or even 100 years. Even though Fujimoto knew that Osaka authorities planned for the Expo site to be temporary, he hoped its resilient design might aid its preservation.
“I was hoping, I was expecting, from the very beginning that if the Expo was very successful and if people really love it, then this Grand Ring could stay longer, like the Eiffel Tower,” Fujimoto said. Paris’ Eiffel Tower and Brussels’ Atomium had faced similar debates about their dismantling after the cities’ respective Expos, but have endured as lasting national symbols.
After all, he suggested, putting in so much effort to build something of great beauty and scale, just to dismantle it all in less than a year is “not really a smart way” to manage urban development.
The Grand Ring’s Uncertain Future
The ultimate fate of the Ring’s timber remains a point of contention. Shortly before the fair’s conclusion, The Japan Times reported that wood from the structure would be donated to the city of Suzu in Ishikawa Prefecture to assist in building public housing as a part of the recovery effort following the 2024 earthquake and subsequent floods.
Additionally, according to a press release, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition held a public auction for the wood in late 2025, ostensibly to find buyers who would repurpose the material.
However, these efforts appear to cover only a fraction of the massive volume of timber. The Association’s official Sustainability Action Plan was notably vague, committing only to reuse materials “as much as possible” without setting hard targets for timber preservation.
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Updated On December 17, 2025
AloJapan.com