Construction Begins on Japan’s Expo 2025 Pavilion With a 3-Story Cross-Laminated Timber Building

The Japan News is reporting (9-12-23) that a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday for the Japan pavilion of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo on Osaka’s human-made Yumeshima Island.

As the host country, the pavilion will serve as a venue for the Japanese government to promote the expo’s theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” The pavilion will also play a diplomatic role in welcoming foreign dignitaries and other visitors.

The construction of the three-story building is expected to be completed by the end of February 2025, ahead of the expo’s opening which is scheduled for April of that year. It will have interior and exterior walls of cross-laminated timber panels made from multiple layers of wood.

The cost of constructing the pavilion is expected to be ¥7.678 billion, about ¥920 more than initially planned due to soaring materials costs and other factors. It may rise further in the future.

The expo plans to have 110 pavilions to be run under different themes and by participating countries and corporations.