MORF’s Narrative-Driven Pavilion for Colombia at Expo 2025
MORF designs the Colombia Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka as a temporary national exhibition space that combines narrative-driven design with modular, sustainable construction. The design draws conceptual inspiration from the opening lines of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. Referencing the moment a young boy encounters ice for the first time, the design interprets this narrative through an architectural motif titled ‘ICE CUBE.’
The pavilion’s facade is composed of numerous translucent cubes, oriented in varying directions to create a sense of motion and texture. These cubes are constructed from semi-transparent polycarbonate panels and equipped with programmable lighting. This feature enables the facade to shift in appearance over the course of the day and night, serving as both a visual marker and a platform for presenting Colombian culture within the Expo context.
all images by Forward Stroke Inc., Koji Okumura, Susumu Matsui
adaptive design and visual storytelling define Colombia Pavilion
MORF’s design team organizes the structure around a prefabricated light steel frame system, selected to accommodate the short construction timeline and environmental considerations typical of Expo buildings. The frame sits on a floating foundation system, allowing construction to adapt to the site’s soil limitations. Excavated portions of this foundation are utilized to create a mezzanine level for back-of-house operations, optimizing the spatial configuration within the pavilion’s limited footprint.
Visitors enter through a central hall that includes a Colombian coffee bar, highlighting a key cultural product. The open and adaptable interior space supports various exhibition layouts, ensuring flexibility throughout the event duration. The exhibition narrative presents Colombia as ‘the Country of Beauty’ through the conceptual lens of Magical Realism. The Yellow Butterfly, drawn from García Márquez’s novel as a symbolic bridge between reality and imagination, acts as a guiding motif throughout the pavilion’s immersive environments. In addition to its role during Expo 2025, the pavilion has been designed with a post-event lifecycle in mind. Its modular steel structure allows for easy disassembly and reconstruction in a new context. Discussions are currently underway regarding its future use after the Expo concludes.
translucent cubes form the dynamic facade of the Colombia Pavilion
the ‘ice cube’ concept organizes the pavilion’s outer skin into shifting geometries
polycarbonate panels allow light to transform the building throughout the day
a prefabricated steel frame system supports fast, efficient construction
programmable lighting animates the facade with subtle color transitions
a layered facade conveys movement and complexity in form
the structure’s light steel components can be reused after the Expo
the pavilion demonstrates how storytelling informs architectural form
sustainable materials and modular planning shape the pavilion’s life cycle
project info:
name: Colombia Pavilion Osaka Expo 2025
architect: MORF Inc. | @a.morf.jp
location: Osaka, Japan
client: ProColombia
site area: 875,89 sqm
footprint area: 513,42 sqm
total floor area: 584,44 sqm
project director: Karim Chahal
principal architect: Ko Oono
lead architect: Masaki Suzuki
project architects: Won Sungmin, Gen Kurokawa
assistant project manager: Maki Nomura
associate architect: AA-DC
project architect: Nicole Del Santo
structural design: Ando Imagineering Group (AIG)
lead structural designer: Kosaku Ando
structural designer: Toshiki Tanabe
general contractor: Sakane Sangyou Inc.
construction manager: Tsunehiko Muroi
modular structure contractor: NS Hi-Parts
representative director: Atsushi Morioki
landscape design & construction: 1moku Landscape Design & Research
lead landscape architect: Hirofumi Suga
exhibition design & construction: Sigongtech
general managers: Junseok Kang, Karen Ko
lead designer: Hansol Lee
senior designers: Hanna Lee, Sohee Jang
photographer: Forward Stroke Inc., Koji Okumura, Susumu Matsui
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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
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