Czech Pavilion at EXPO 2025 set to be tallest wooden building in Japan
The Czech pavilion for EXPO Osaka 2025, designed by Apropos Architects, will be the tallest wooden structure without steel support in Japan. What is the motivation behind the project and what challenges will the structure present?
The 12-meter high structure will be a crystal spiral made up of an inner pavilion with a diameter of 15 x 5 metres, surrounded by a tube-like hollow space of a diameter of 90 metres. The space inside will feature various Czech-related installations.
I asked the co-founder of Apropos Architects, Michal Gabaš, about the motivation behind the project.
“There was the prompt from the client for the competition which included a number of topics, partially from the expo organization, which was under the theme ‘empowering future lives and future societies.’ Eventually, we came up with the idea of the spiral form of the pavilion which symbolizes a pathway for society or even of the individual.”
The pavilion's construction will feature glued wooden elements and CLT panels, which are composed of several glued layers placed crosswise for enhanced strength. The wooden structure will also incorporate glass. Due to Japan's stringent standards and height restrictions for timber buildings, especially considering earthquake risks, meeting the regulations was a challenge, as Mr. Gabaš explains.
“Structure is one major challenge. Another major challenge is fire protection because the whole building is made out of glued laminated timber. And the third major challenge is Japanese laws and building regulations which they require us to follow.”
The architects had to document laboratory tests that the wood and fasteners would withstand an earthquake or the force of the winds that occur in typhoons there.
A2 Timber, specializing in large timber buildings made from glulam, is supplying the timber for the pavilion. About 1,000 cubic meters of timber will be used. The timber is being transported from Czechia to Hamburg and then shipped to Japan.
The wood is being prepared at various locations across the Czech Republic. Harvested logs are processed into glued laminated timber and CLT panels. Some components are sent to A2 Timber's hall in Veřovice for further processing. For complex structures like the roof, assembly and disassembly are done in the hall to ensure smooth on-site construction.
So, what has the reception of the project been like in Japan?
“We have some media monitoring and from what we know it has been positively received. You can see it in a published article on Dezeen, an online architectural design website, which is quite popular. There our pavilion was listed among the 13 most expected for the upcoming expo.”
The first shipment of containers for the award-winning Czech pavilion project should arrive in Osaka by the end of August and construction is set to begin in mid-September.
This marks the sixth participation of Czechia in the World Expos as an independent country.
