The Afterlife of Expo Osaka's Grand Ring: How the Timber Structure Is Being Reused Across Japan

"Exhibitions can be an opportunity to extend architectural discourse beyond professional circles, opening conversations with broader publics and serving as an interface between architecture and society. Within this concept, major international events such as the Osaka International Expo 2025 and the Venice Architecture Biennale have adopted the idea of the circular economy as one of their organizational objectives. The idea of circularity in events can be reflected in, for example, their energy consumption, the impact of the displacement they generate, their waste, or the useful life of their infrastructure."

"The Osaka Grand Ring was designed to embody the Expo's theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," and symbolize the philosophy of "Diversity in Unity." Sou Fujimoto Architects' design served as the main access route for visitors, a sheltered space, an elevated Skywalk offering views of the entire Expo site, and a landscaped rooftop. The massive timber structure covered a horizontal projected area of approximately 60,000 square meters. With an inner diameter of 615 meters and an outer diameter of 675 meters, the Ring was 30 meters wide and stood 12 meters tall, rising to 20 meters at its highest point. It was designed with a focus on material efficiency, selecting wood for its renewable properties and carbon-storing capacity, contributing to the project's goal of minimizing its overall carbon footprint."

Major international events are integrating circular economy principles into energy use, displacement impact, waste reduction, and infrastructure longevity. The Osaka Grand Ring, a massive timber structure by Sou Fujimoto Architects, functioned as the Expo's main access, sheltered space, Skywalk, and landscaped rooftop, covering about 60,000 square meters. The Ring measured 615 m inner diameter and 675 m outer diameter, 30 m wide and up to 20 m tall. Wood was selected for material efficiency and carbon-storing capacity to reduce the overall carbon footprint. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition committed to reusing materials where possible, with reuse plans to be finalized by March and relocation alternatives emerging.

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