Qatar Pavilion by Kengo Kuma at EXPO 2025 Osaka – Photos are by ©Iwan Baan, courtesy of Qatar Museums.

Architecture. Kengo Kuma & Associates created a complex timber architecture covered in a veil of white fabric for the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. Inside, the OMA*AMO-curated exhibition explores how a 563-kilometre coastline has shaped country’s culture, identity, and industry.

• RELATED STORIES: Read more about Expo 2025 Osaka on archipanic.com.

Kengo Kuma’s design evokes the shape of a dhow, the classic sailing boat of Qatar and its surroundings. This lightweight timber structure wrapped in elegant white fabric employs traditional Qatari and Japanese wood-joinery techniques. It connects the maritime legacies of both nations, honouring their strong ties and shared histories in pearling.

Upon arrival, visitors are greeted by poems displayed on coastline representations. They then ‘shore to the land’ with sands in different colours symbolising the desert landscapes of inland Qatar, accompanied by backlit wall graphics highlighting rock carvings.

The exhibition’s central area showcases a stunning view of the Qatari coastline, along with a “Sea Curtain” crafted by the interior architecture firm Inside-Outside, which envelops the Pavilion’s interior. Additionally, two maps depict Qatar’s historical journey and modern development, visually illustrating 200 years of dramatic coastal transformation.

At the heart of the exhibition is a three-screen film by The Explorers that narrates Qatar’s evolution from its past to the present using archival footage and modern imagery.

The Pavilion’s second floor features a library curated by Atlas Bookstore from Qatar, alongside a majlis- a meeting room featuring seating designed by Qatari designer Maryam Al Homaid. A special display highlights the relationship between Qatar and Japan, complemented by artworks from Yousef Ahmed (Qatar) and Hayaki Nishigaki (Japan).

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar commissioned the Pavilion. The Qatar Blueprint, a think tank affiliated with the Chairperson’s Office of Qatar Museums, led the creative and content direction.

All photos of the Qatar Pavilion are courtesy of Iwan Baan.

• RELATED STORIES: Discover more Uzbek architecture and design on Archipanic.