French Pavilion, World Expo – Osaka 2025

The architecture of the French Pavilion illustrates how design bridges the gap between human and non-human worlds on our planet, welcoming them into our natural and artificial habitats

The project, jointly developed by French architecture studio Coldefy and Italian architecture and innovation practice CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, is conceived as a Theatrum Naturae, featuring the gradients of France’s rich landscape as part of a looping narrative path. It suggests new entanglements between humans and other forms of life in our cities and shows France’s contribution to culture and the natural environment in the 21^st century. 

A single pathway celebrating human senses takes the visitors through the Pavilion, creating an experience divided into what could be considered three acts: Ascent, Discovery of Nature, and Return to the Ground. Rising from ground level in an “arc de scène”, the experience begins by taking a sensual staircase that winds to form an observation balcony before crossing a curtain threshold to create an infinite loop. This loop allows for a complete exploration of the interior space of the building, encompassing its entire volume, before opening onto the verdant terrace.          

The journey culminates on the Pavilion’s rooftop, featuring a landscaped garden crowning the building, resembling a slice of nature serving as a protective barrier above the pavilion — a space of common ground welcoming all living species. As visitors walk through the garden, they take a journey through the different environs of France, from the mountains to the coast. It represents the climax of the narrative, akin to the conclusion of a play that reveals the vital realization of our connection to nature.       

The project is in line with the overarching theme of the 2025 Osaka World Expo, ‘Empowering Life’. Designed within a circular architectural approach, the pavilion is not only a red thread linking the many aspects of French human and more-than-human life. It also seamlessly blends prefabricated and natural elements, embedding its existence in a virtuous loop of reuse and recycling that extends far beyond the fleeting timeframe of the World Expo.