What we know about Mario Cucinella’s Italian Pavilion for Expo Osaka 2025

Mario Cucinella presented its project for the Italian pavilion for Expo Osaka 2025, a large hangar dedicated to Italian “know-how”, which for the first time will also host the Holy See. The idea behind the pavilion – which appears as a structure permeable to atmospheric lighting and to the colors of the sea that surround it – is the contamination between knowledge and generations.

The structure will be mainly made of wood coming from certified local supply chains and will consist of two volumes: a display case that contains the exhibition and experiential fulcrum of the pavilion; and a secondary body in the rear, which will instead host functions and ancillary services. On the main façade, there will be a giant order of portals, which frame the internal architectures of the exhibition path and recall the image of the large portico atrium. Inside the pavilion some famous works of Italian heritage will be broken and proposed in an unexpected way, to make the use of the heritage of the past more contemporary.

The visitor’s experience will also be divided into 3 symbolic acts of Italy’s capacity for innovation: the theatre; the ideal city, and the Italian garden. Construction is expected to begin in December this year.