trahan architects' USA pavilion to open at expo 2025 osaka

a look inside the usa pavilion at expo 2025 osaka

With Expo 2025 Osaka set to open to the public in just a few days, the USA Pavilion prepares to welcome visitors into an open, grand spatial experience inspired by natural and urban canyons. Designed by US-based practice Trahan Architects, the pavilion is located along the Sou Fujimoto-designed Grand Ring, a primary artery of the Expo site, and forms a prominent gateway into the fairgrounds. It introduces a bold yet introspective image of the United States, situating the nation’s creativity within this broader international context while drawing on elements of Japanese architectural heritage to shape its spatial logic.

Two triangular volumes stretching outward simultaneously open and frame a central plaza that gently curves and narrows to a point. The surfaces, inside and out, are clad with large LED screens that cycle through imagery of American landscapes and cultural scenes. Alongside them, a series of exhibitions spotlight the nation’s engagement with sustainability and education, and its innovations in agriculture, nanotechnology, advanced materials, and aerospace technologies.

all images © Hufton+Crow

trahan architects frames central plaza amid winged structure

A curved bridge runs through the plaza with an instinctive movement that references the idea of traditional Japanese footbridges and shapes a movement that feels both intentional and instinctive. The passage concludes at a serenity garden tucked behind the wings, where a narrow opening allows natural light to spill in. The team at Trahan Architects has also suspended a translucent cube above the central thoroughfare, from which the reflective wings seem to extend.

Glowing softly during the day and illuminated at night, the hovering volume echoes the form and symbolism of a torii gate and marks the threshold between the active exterior and more reflective inner courtyard. Structurally integrated between these wings, the cube becomes the USA Pavilion’s architectural emblem and remains easily visible from across the Expo grounds.

USA Pavilion prepares to welcome visitors into an open, grand yet minimalistic experience

immersive and interactive exhibitions within

While the architectural form provides structure and rhythm, the structure and interior program completed in collaboration with BRC Imagination Arts, ES Global, and Alchemy brings the narrative into focus. BRC Imagination Arts has developed an exhibition sequence that moves into immersive, multisensorial storytelling. Spark, the animated mascot, also awaits visitors at the entrance, onwards from which a series of environments are configured to spotlight American contributions to fields such as aerospace, agriculture, nanotechnology, and advanced materials.

Each space is designed to engage the senses through calibrated visual, auditory, and spatial cues that emphasize the idea of shared potential. A bilingual musical score is integrated, paired with sweeping cinematic visuals that accompany visitors through the final exhibition titled Launch. This closing moment crystallizes the pavilion’s theme, Imagine What We Can Create Together, and issues a forward-facing invitation: to join in shaping a more imaginative, interconnected future. ‘Our ability to imagine is one of the most powerful tools we have,’ notes Christian Lachel of BRC.

Trahan Architects draws on natural and urban canyons