Stuttgart-based ATELIER BRÜCKNER are the team behind the award-winning architecture of the Uzbekistan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka.
Picking up Gold at the German Design Awards, their design (commissioned by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation) is forward-facing, yet rooted in the legacy of the Silk Road and inspired by the caravanserai — as well as Japanese architectural traditions.
Euronews Culture chatted with Shirin Brückner, Founding Partner and Managing Director of ATELIER BRÜCKNER, to discuss the design process, the cultural fusion behind the concept, and the unique challenges of designing an Expo pavilion in Japan.
Euronews Culture: Let’s start with the concept behind the pavilion. What story does it tell?
Shirin Brückner: The pavilion is really very close to our hearts. It’s more than a building, it’s a story: about Uzbekistan’s identity, its deep cultural roots, its path of transformation and its bold vision for the future.
The award-winning architecture takes its inspiration from a caravanserai, a place of rest and of exchange along the Silk Road. The spirit of openness, learning, and transformation is the soul of the pavilion; we call it “the garden of knowledge”, a laboratory for future society. The design also is a bridge between Uzbekistan and Japanese traditions.
At an Expo, you usually have only two seconds to somehow get the attention of all these visitors – not an easy task with all this crazy architecture around!
On that note, how do the architectural choices in the Pavilion facilitate the immersive experience you envision for visitors?
SB: The architecture is at the heart of the visitor experience. We designed the pavilion as a journey, both physical and emotional. Inspired by the caravanserais of the Silk Road, the structure itself becomes a space of shelter, exchange, and discovery. The rising platform, for example, is not only a technical centerpiece but also a symbolic transition: as visitors ascend, they are surrounded by a 360-degree multimedia experience that immerses them in Uzbekistan’s story of transformation.
We worked carefully to ensure that architecture and exhibition are fully integrated. The wooden columns in the upper level create a contemplative atmosphere, inspired by the Juma Mosque in Khiva, while the layered spaces below feel as though they grow organically from the ground. This way, the pavilion is not just something to look at, it’s something to feel and to experience with all senses.
Could you tell us about the pavilion’s strong links to Japanese traditions as well?
SB: We try to bridge between Uzbek and Japanese architectural traditions. There’s a beautiful resonance between Uzbek and Japanese architecture — especially in the shared respect for craftsmanship, natural materials, and quiet simplicity. That dialogue runs throughout the pavilion. For instance, the wooden structure uses traditional Japanese joinery — without metal fasteners — so it can be dismantled and rebuilt sustainably.
Speaking of dismantling, I understand that the pavilion will actually return to Uzbekistan after the Expo?
SB: That’s the plan. It’s modular, so it can be reassembled in different sizes and configurations — possibly in a park in Tashkent, with smaller versions traveling around the country. It was very important to us that the pavilion live on after the Expo.
How have sustainability and re-use, and environmentally friendly practices more broadly, been incorporated into the pavilion’s construction and design?
SB: Sustainability was a guiding principle from the very beginning. We carefully selected natural, renewable, and locally sourced materials wherever possible. For example, we used clay and doma flooring from Awaji Island, a material deeply rooted in Japanese building tradition and valued for its natural climatic properties.
The pavilion also features reused bricks, collected from demolished buildings in Japan, which not only reduce environmental impact but also reflect the Uzbek appreciation for craftsmanship and material heritage. We also integrated gravel, a natural stone commonly used in Japanese landscaping, which here serves as an abstract representation of the Uzbek landscape. These material choices connect cultural narratives while respecting ecological responsibility.
And of course, equally important is the extensive use of locally sourced wood from the Osaka region, a renewable material that connects both to sustainable practice and to the tradition of Uzbek wood craftsmanship. Tags on the columns let visitors trace the origin of each piece.
From a technical perspective, we rely on energy-efficient LED lighting to minimise energy consumption throughout the pavilion. These material and design choices not only connect cultural narratives between Uzbekistan and Japan but also demonstrate our commitment to ecological responsibility, making sustainability an integral part of both the pavilion’s physical presence and its story.
What’s been your relationship with Uzbekistan prior to the Expo?
SB: We’ve been working in Uzbekistan since 2021. During the pandemic, I made my first trip there — not knowing if we’d even get in! Since then, we’ve worked on the Romanov Palace renovation in Tashkent, an exhibition inside it, and we’re currently involved in the new State Museum of Art with Tadao Ando as the architect.
What are some of the unique architectural challenges you faced when designing the Pavilion, and how did you set about responding to the Expo 2025 theme?
SB: Balancing sculptural complexity with structural stability was one of the major challenges we faced. The pavilion’s pergola, for example, is not just an architectural highlight but also a complex structural sculpture. To meet Japan’s strict earthquake regulations, we had to engineer it with great precision while keeping the lightness and openness of the design intact.
Another significant challenge was the moving platform, a unique feature in both its shape and use, and something that has never been realised in Japan before. Creating a rising stage that also supports a fully immersive 360-degree projection, while coordinating all technical elements and teams, was no small task. But in the end, it became the emotional heart of the pavilion and a seamless part of the visitor journey.
Responding to the Expo 2025 theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” we wanted the pavilion to be a laboratory for future ideas. Architecturally, that meant merging traditional references with forward-thinking design solutions, showing how heritage and innovation can coexist and shape a sustainable future.
Expo 2025 Osakaopened to the public on 13 April 2025. The Uzbekistan Pavilion, designed by ATELIER BRÜCKNER, will be on view throughout the duration of the event until 13 October 2025.
