william mulvihill captures material intricacy of sou fujimoto’s grand ring at expo 2025 osaka

william mulvihill continues his expo 2025 osaka photo series

A sweeping timber ring — the largest of its kind in the world — encircles the Expo 2025 Osaka site on Yumeshima Island, Japan, anchoring the world fair. Conceived by Sou Fujimoto, the Grand Ring serves as the Expo’s circulatory core and forms a new landmark on the island, connecting national pavilions, performance venues, and public spaces beneath an expansive wooden canopy that doubles as a skywalk. A new series of photographs by William Mulvihill captures the complete structure in striking detail, highlighting its scale, construction, lightness, atmosphere, and material elegance. Following the photographer’s visual journey capturing the Expo’s national pavilions, this new series documents the monumental structure’s vast footprint while highlighting the intricacy of its lattice of timber beams.

sou fujimoto’s monumental timber ring anchors the expo

Spanning over 60,000 square meters and stretching 2 kilometers in circumference, the Grand Ring is now the largest timber structure in the world. It rises between 12 and 22 meters in height and is made from a combination of local Japanese sugi cedar, hinoki cypress, and Scots pine glulam, joined using traditional Japanese nuki joinery techniques. Built in collaboration with Tohata Architects & Engineers and Azusa Sekkei, the project exemplifies expressions of heritage craftsmanship merged with contemporary structural engineering, designed to resist earthquakes while maintaining a delicate and open character for its life during the Expo and beyond.

Fujimoto has described the ring as ‘a symbol of our times,’ shaping it as a circular space that promotes collective experience alongside ecological sensitivity. The structure shelters visitors from sun and rain below, while a continuous elevated deck above provides panoramic views of the Expo site and Osaka Bay.

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project info:

name: Grand Ring

architect: Sou Fujimoto | @sou_fujimoto