Glass helix, floating garden among finalists for Czech pavilion at Expo 2025 in Japan

The design for the Czech pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka has been selected. A seven-member jury chose a glass helix by Apropos Architects from 38 competing projects. A69 Architects and Mjolk finished second and third.

The winning pavilion will have its front wall made of glass, which was a priority for Apropos Architects, since glass manufacture and craft have a long tradition in Czechia. The pavilion's motto is "sculpturing of vitality."

Apropos Architects' Nikoleta Slováková told the press conference that people will reach a higher age with all their vitality, and the pavilion's dynamic helix shape is meant to symbolize the most ideal path. The wood and glass structure will also represent Czech know-how and creativity. Apropos Architects has offices in Zurich and The Hague, as well as Prague.

Negotiations with the winning team will now start, and if they can’t reach an agreement on a contract, then talks will start with the other top finalists. The contract should be signed by the end of March, the Czech commissioner general for the expo, Ondrej Soska, said at a press conference.

The second-place proposal from A69 – architekti was intended to invoke the feeling of a forest temple with light penetrating from all sides.

Mjölk architekti’s third-place entry, called Sky Under the Trees, was conceived to represent a floating garden that reflects the Czech people’s love of nature.

Once a contract is signed on the Czech side, then the approval proceedings will follow in Japan to allow for construction. The pavilion should be completed in early 2025 at the latest.

The Osaka Expo will take place between April and October 2025, with "Designing Future Society for Our Lives" as the main motto.

Expo organizers previously set aside a spot on the seashore promenade for the Czech pavilion. The cabinet approved Czech participation in the Osaka Expo last summer. The budget of the project has been set at CZK 290.2 million for 2023–26, and up to CZK 220 million will be provided by external sources.