Italy Pavilion by MCA-Mario Cucinella Architects at Expo 2025 Osaka – Photos by ©Yumeng Zhu, courtesy of MCA.
Architecture. Mario Cucinella Architects has imagined the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka as a warehouse and Ideal City of the country’s ‘saper fare’ (know-how). The pavilion welcomes visitors with an open portico with giant columns, offering a view into a large atrium and framing the architecture of the internal visitor route. Inside, guests are fully immersed in the colours of the Renaissance paintings, iconic marble sculptures, the proportions of the urban spaces, as well as the country’s cutting-edge innovations. The journey concludes on the rooftop, with the verdant geometry of a contemporary Italian garden.
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“Designing the Italian Pavilion for the Osaka Expo 2025 is a unique opportunity to create an authentic platform on which to present the culture, history, and innovation of our country,” explains Mario Cucinella, Founder, MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects. “We wanted to create a place where connections for future collaborations will be woven and where ties for cultural, social and economic exchanges will be strengthened.”
The Italian Pavilion features permeable and welcoming architectural design centred around a spacious entrance foyer, surrounded by a transparent and breathable façade that allows natural light to filter in while protecting the interiors.
The building’s outer shell showcases a semi-transparent textile façade constructed from a breathable mineral fibre membrane, promoting passive thermal-light regulation while highlighting the structure’s temporary and reversible nature. The load-bearing framework consists solely of laminated wood, utilising a modular dry system that creates a lively spatial rhythm.
Upon entering, guests are immediately introduced to authentic Italian handmade artistry: vibrant studios blend digital craftsmanship, innovative manufacturing, scientific exploration, and visual arts. Following this, the immersive theatre presents a seamless display, merging digital set designs with live performances, reimagining the essence of Italian Renaissance theatre in conversation with Japanese performance traditions.
Next, the journey leads to the Ideal City area, which reimagines the notion of the Renaissance Ideal City with multimedia installations and renowned pieces like the Farnese Atlas and the cutting edge Olympic Torches of Milano Cortina 2026.
The Italian Pavilion also houses the intimate and contemplative Holy See‘s participation, showcasing Caravaggio’s original The Deposition, on loan from the Vatican Museums. The narrative then expands to include the various Italian territories, highlighting an exhibition space dedicated to the Regions, which will alternate during the months of the Expo.
The experience culminates in the Green Terrace, a roof garden and an organic labyrinth that reworks the typology of the Italian garden, merging Italian and Japanese vegetation.
Constructed entirely from prefabricated laminated wood modules, the building is intended for complete disassembly post-Expo. This enables full or partial repurposing in a different context.
All photos are by ©Yumeng Zhu, courtesy of MCA–Mario Cucinella Architects.
