Behind several of the most anticipated pavilions at EXPO 2025 Osaka lies BeWunder’s expertise in turning architectural visions into captivating, multisensory realities. The World Expo is a dynamic stage where architecture, design, and technology converge to create compelling narratives about the future. The pavilions act as canvases where abstract ideas are brought to life through an orchestration of light, sound, and interactive technology. designboom takes a look at pavilions, created in collaboration with BeWunder, pushing the boundaries of spatial design and turning a passive visit into an active, immersive multimedia journey.

USA Pavilion | image ©Hufton+Crow, all images courtesy of ​​BeWunder

FROM STAGED EXPERIENCES TO FULL-SCALE EVENT PRODUCTION

As a specialist in museums, exhibitions, and brand pavilions, BeWunder serves as a turnkey partner for creating unforgettable spatial experiences. The company‘s passion lies in producing multisensory visitor experiences that combine multimedia technology, content, staged lighting, interactive elements, and scenery. With an end-to-end approach, BeWunder’s team is expertly positioned to bridge the gap between creative vision and its physical reality. Their proven international track record in both live events and permanent construction has positioned them to deliver exceptional projects, regardless of scope, scale, or location.

designed as an architectural homage to openness and progress, the Kuwait Pavilion features bold open wings

TURNKEY PROJECTS AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM BEWUNDER

For the USA, Netherlands, and Philippines Pavilions, BeWunder served as a turnkey design and build contractor, taking full responsibility for the final design and delivery. Their scope encompassed an integrated approach, covering everything from initial concept development and feasibility studies to the final delivery of multimedia and lighting systems, interactive elements, scenic fit-out, exhibit fabrication, graphics, print, and signage. 

Each project was uniquely defined by its architectural and cultural narrative. Inspired by the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, the USA Pavilion’s architectural form consists of two triangular wooden structures contrasted by a suspended, illuminated cube. BeWunder supported the exhibition design team by further developing the concept, ensuring that technology, storytelling, and spatial design worked hand-in-hand to create a compelling and immersive experience for visitors. Similarly, for the Philippines Pavilion, whose design pays tribute to Filipino heritage and features over 200 handwoven textiles, BeWunder managed the installation of the exterior facade and coordinated all artworks to bring the creative vision to life with precision. A highlight of the Netherlands Pavilion was the design and manufacturing of a bespoke interactive sphere system, enabling visitors to engage with content in dynamic, personalized ways.

BeWunder was responsible for the complete multimedia and lighting systems inside the Kuwait Pavilion exhibition

BeWunder also applied its specialized skills in audio-visual and lighting systems to achieve the vision for a number of other pavilions, including the Kuwait, Luxembourg, and Germany Pavilions. The Kuwait Pavilion, with its distinctive open wings, was brought to life with comprehensive interior multimedia and lighting systems. This expertise extended to the exterior as well, with the team designing and installing the façade and landscape lighting to highlight the structure’s unique architecture, especially at night.

From a monumental spiral sculpture of the Austria Pavilion to a moving stage in the Uzbekistan Pavilion, BeWunder created standout features, designed for unforgettable, multisensory journeys. A groundbreaking 100-channel audio system in the Austria Pavilion enables visitors to collaboratively create music, turning the inside into an active and participatory experience. For the Switzerland Pavilion, BeWunder’s expertise was focused on an integrated lighting setup that animated the pavilion’s iconic bubble effects. Meanwhile, a standout feature of the Uzbekistan Pavilion was a moving stage that transports visitors between floors while being fully immersed in projection content. For the Luxembourg Pavilion, a key highlight of their scope was the development and delivery of custom-made LED screens, manufactured specifically for the project to meet unique design and spatial requirements.

Switzerland’s Pavilion is driven by three key themes: life, planet, and augmented human

Beyond full-scale delivery, BeWunder’s partner mindset allowed them to provide targeted technical and consultancy services. For the Portugal Pavilion, they acted as a consultant, offering feasibility studies and value engineering to align design intent with budget and technical feasibility. Similarly, for the UAE Pavilion, BeWunder served as a media hardware planner, responsible for the design and specification of all AV technology. This comprehensive range of services ensures that every client, regardless of their specific needs, can bring their creative vision to life.

the Portugal Pavilion offers an interactive experience, inviting visitors to explore the ocean as a life-giving resource

BeWunder served as the turnkey design & build contractor for the visitor experience at the Philippines Pavilion

with its theme of common ground, the Netherlands Pavilion aims to foster openness and cooperation

for the UAE Pavilion, BeWunder ensured the AV system fully supports and enhances the creative vision

the Germany Pavilion centres on the theme of circular economy, with the title Wa! Germany

the European Union Pavilion highlights the EU’s commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and secure future

the USA Pavilion invites visitors to imagine a future where collaboration and creativity lead global progress

project info:

name: Turnkey Projects at Osaka Expo 2025

company: BeWunder | @bewunder_expierences

location: Osaka, Japan

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In the Cour Jardin of the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris, France, Univers Uchronia has unveiled Daybed, a large-scale installation that reinterprets the hotel’s garden through materiality, color, and form. The temporary work, on view until 11th November, 2025, functions as both sculptural object and inhabitable space, establishing a dialogue between contemporary design and the historic setting of the Plaza Athénée.

At the center of the project is a ceramic surface designed in collaboration with Dutch brand Palet. The installation is clad in Palet’s glazed tiles, whose dimensions (149 x 149 mm) and color flexibility formed the basis for Uchronia’s architectural composition. The palette, dominated by greens and reds, references the hotel’s signature tones, including the red geraniums that line the Cour Jardin. Produced in the Netherlands, each tile is glazed to order from Palet’s library of more than 100 colors, which can be combined into over 300,000 possible variations. The reflective surface changes character under different light conditions, giving the installation a shifting visual presence throughout the day.

all images by Felix Dol Maillot

Uchronia’s Daybed Combines Ceramics, Textiles, and Furnishings

The ceramic assembly by creative studio Univers Uchronia is complemented by additional crafted elements: a custom-designed headboard by Treca, bed linens by Le Jacquard Français, floral curtains and cushions by Misia, and painted finishes by Seigneurie. Together, these components extend the project beyond surface design, integrating textiles and furnishings into a cohesive environment.

Palet, founded in 2021 by Jaap Giesen, Gilles de Brock, and Niels Monsieurs, operates at the intersection of digital design and ceramic craftsmanship. Its platform allows designers and clients to configure bespoke color and pattern combinations at varying scales, bridging industrial repeatability with artisanal variation. The collaboration with Univers Uchronia continues a partnership that has evolved from small-scale interiors to more ambitious site-specific installations. Daybed at the Plaza Athénée exemplifies this ongoing exchange, presenting ceramic tile as both material and medium for architectural experimentation within a public-facing context.

Daybed installation in the Cour Jardin of Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris

Univers Uchronia reinterprets the garden through form, colour, and material

the installation functions as both sculpture and inhabitable space

textiles, floral curtains, and cushions enhance the composition

Palet’s glazed ceramic tiles form the surface of the installation

greens and reds echo the hotel’s iconic geraniums and palette

the reflective ceramic surface shifts character with changing light

Uchronia and Palet’s collaboration extends from interiors to large-scale work

Daybed explores ceramic tile as both material and medium of architecture

project info:

name: Daybed
designer: Uchronia | @uchronia_world

location: Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris, France

photographer: Felix Dol Maillot | @felixdolmaillot

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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The Future Life Village pavilion stands at the heart of Expo 2025 Osaka as an official venue organized under the theme of ‘Co-Creation and Dialogue.’ Designed by Japanese studio KOMPAS as a tiny, village-like complex, the pavilion brings together three exhibition programs — Future Life Experience, Team Expo Pavilion, and Best Practices.

Reflecting the Expo’s guiding principle of ‘Decentralization and Dispersion,’ the design draws from the ecological memory of Yumeshima, a reclaimed island transformed into a biodiverse wetland. At its core is a central courtyard that acts as living green infrastructure, symbolizing the cycle of life. Scattered planting beds and ponds highlight individual plant species, encouraging visitors to encounter an environment where people and nature coexist.

images © Yohei Sasakura

gabion walls infuse the structure with landscape

Around the courtyard of Osaka’s Future Life Village, circular exhibition units of varying sizes are positioned along a continuous ring-shaped circulation path. With this configuration, the team at KOMPAS allows each unit to function independently while maintaining a sense of collective unity within the Expo. The ring pathway creates a natural flow of people, and invites visitors to freely explore the village.

Exhibition units facing the courtyard are built with gabion walls, or hollow mesh partitions filled with stone. Constructed with steel rebar trusses and welded mesh, these cage-like walls support ventilation, filter sunlight, and even welcome plant growth. Their infills — vitrified slag stones from incinerated industrial waste and synthetic pumice made from recycled glass — highlight the project’s experimental use of recycled materials and its commitment to sustainability within the urban context of Osaka.

Future Life Village pavilion opens at Expo 2025 Osaka with a design by KOMPAS

experimental pavilion for passive climate strategies

Rainwater and irrigation runoff are collected in a central pond, forming part of a heat exchange system that cools semi-outdoor spaces of the Future Life Village in Osaka. In summer, water is sprinkled over the gabion walls to lend passive cooling, which demonstrates a holistic approach to water circulation and natural climate control. This integration of architecture and landscape establishes the pavilion as an experimental model of sustainable design.

The adjacent public restrooms extend the project’s environmental strategies at a smaller scale. Built with cross-laminated timber roofing and clerestory windows, its circular layout supports efficient circulation and naturally illuminates the interiors. 

the project unites three exhibition programs and public facilities in a single complex

a central courtyard reflects the biodiversity of reclaimed Yumeshima Island

a timber restroom facility extends the sustainable design approach

planting beds and ponds create a biodiverse landscape

circular exhibition units connect through a continuous ring pathway for easy flow

Gabion walls made of recycled materials merge the architecture with the landscape

project info:

name: Future Life Village

architect: KOMPAS | @kompas_arch

location: Expo 2025 Osaka | @expo2025japan

area: 1,272 square meters (13,690 square feet)

completion: 2025

photography: © Yohei Sasakura | @yoheisasakura

structure: Graph Studio
MEP: ZO Consulting Engineers
landscape: eiko tomura landscape architects
contractor: Sanda Komuten Inc.

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The PASONA NATUREVERSE Pavilion, designed by the design labo Inc. for Expo 2025 Osaka, is conceived as a spiral structure inspired by the form of an ammonite. With a diameter of 43 meters, the pavilion establishes a spatial framework where themes of life, ecology, and the interconnection between humanity and nature are explored.

The ammonite form serves as both architectural reference and symbolic gesture, linking the micro- and macro-scale dimensions of natural systems. Visitors are guided along a spiraling path that evokes continuity and cyclical movement, while the geometry reinforces the concept of humanity as part of a broader ecological context.

all images courtesy of the design labo Inc.

design labo integrates sustainability with Cultural Context

For the design labo studio, environmental performance is integral to the design. The pavilion employs a water-based cooling system in which a thin film flows across the roof surface, promoting evaporative cooling and reducing the need for air-conditioning. Rainwater, collected alongside the rooftop water, is reused within the building for non-potable functions, reducing reliance on external resources.

Following the Expo, the pavilion is scheduled to be dismantled and reassembled on Awaji Island, a site recognized as one of Japan’s important ammonite fossil beds. This relocation extends the life of the structure and establishes a continuity between form, place, and geological history. Through its material strategy, environmental systems, and symbolic geometry, the PASONA NATUREVERSE Pavilion integrates sustainability with cultural and ecological reference, presenting architecture as a medium that bridges natural history and contemporary design practice.

the PASONA NATUREVERSE Pavilion stands as a 43-meter ammonite-inspired spiral

designed by the design labo Inc. for Expo 2025 Osaka

the spiral form guides visitors through cyclical pathways

architecture and ecology converge in a symbolic ammonite shape

the design emphasizes ecological awareness through spatial form

the spiraling geometry recalls continuity and natural cycles

after the Expo, the pavilion will be dismantled and relocated

project info:

name: PASONA NATUREVERSE
architect: the design labo Inc. / Satoshi Itasaka | @itasaka.satoshi

location: Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan

client: Pasona Group Inc.

design supervision: Maeda Corporation First-Class Architects Office

construction: Maeda Corporation

site area: 3,514.42 sqm

building area: 2,263.83 sqm

total floor area: 2,457.70 sqm

structure: Steel structure

floors: 2 (above ground)

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The Barbados National Performing Arts Pavilion has opened in Bridgetown as the first phase of a future national cultural center designed by Adjaye Associates. Built for the Caribbean festival Carifesta XV, the pavilion sets the stage for an 85,000-square-foot performing arts complex that will anchor the Barbados Heritage District masterplan.

The timber structure is conceived as a ‘meanwhile use’ venue, and thus stands as an immediate cultural space while laying the groundwork for the permanent performing arts center which is scheduled for completion in 2026. By embedding the temporary pavilion into the permanent foundations, the design minimizes waste and ensures that materials will continue to serve the community as the project evolves.

When complete in 2026, the final performing arts center will include a 1,500-seat auditorium, rehearsal studios, public terraces, and cultural amenities. The current timber frame will remain as a defining structural element.

images © Adjaye Associates

the world’s first 80-foot all-wood compression truss

The architects at Adjaye Associates works with StructureCraft, who engineered the world’s first 80-foot all-wood compression truss for the pavilion. The truss transfers 160,000 pounds of tension without a single piece of metal, employing enlarged Okkake-Daisen-Tsugi joints inspired by traditional Japanese joinery. Slender cables brace the sloped columns to the foundations, creating a lateral system capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds while keeping the structural expression visible.

Mass timber enabled a component-based construction process, allowing the pavilion to be designed and assembled in just four months. The sloped perimeter canopies will later be reconfigured as the roof structure for the permanent center, further extending the life of the material. This approach reflects Adjaye Associates’ broader commitment to low-carbon architecture across the Caribbean.

Barbados opens the National Performing Arts Pavilion designed by Adjaye Associates

Innovation in Timber by structurecraft

Lucas Epp of StructureCraft highlights the unprecedented engineering achievement of the all-wood truss: ‘Achieving the 80-foot clear span over Barbados’ new center stage presented a unique opportunity: an all-wood truss, no metal, no screws. Structural optimization transforms the traditional tension-compression webs into pure compression — a truss reimagined as an arch.

‘Using ancient and modern timber joinery, each connection is carefully engineered and detailed for bending, compression, and tension. The single bottom chord splice transfers 160,000 pounds of tension using pure wood tenons. The top chord is spliced with three-foot deep okkake-daisen-tsugi joints scaled beyond historical precedent, transferring both bending and shear.’

the pavilion debuts during Carifesta XV as the first phase of a national cultural center

StructureCraft engineers an 80-foot all-wood compression truss with no metal connections

mass-timber allows a four month design and construction schedule for rapid assembly

slender cables brace the sloped columns to withstand hurricane force winds

traditional Okkake-Daisen-Tsugi joints transfer 160,000 pounds of tension entirely in timber

the timber frame brings Japanese Joinery logic to the Barbados Heritage District

the sloped canopies will be reused as the roof for the permanent performing arts center

project info:

name: Barbados National Performing Arts Center

location: Bridgetown, Barbados

design architect: Adjaye Associates | @adjayeassociates

structural engineer & timber contractor: StructureCraft | @structurecraft_

completion: September 2025 (Phase one)

photography: © Adjaye Associates

project manager: Benchmark Consultancy
architect of record: FORMwork
local structural & civil engineer: CEP Barbados
MEP engineering: Vanderweil & Edge Engineering
acoustics, security: SM&W
facade consultant: Heintges
lighting consultant: Tillotson
theater consultant: Schuler Shook
wayfinding, signage: 2×4
concrete consultant: Redhough Associates

size:
phase one: 35,000 sqft (3251 sqm)
phase two: 85,000 sqft (7897 sqm)

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Atelier VRAC’s Temporary Installation at a Mountain River is presented during Făgăraș Fest on the Moașa Sebeșului River, a tributary of the Sebeș River in Romania’s Făgăraș Mountains. The installation consists of a precise circular structure set directly within the riverbed, framing the natural setting through architectural intervention while allowing the water to flow freely beneath. The circle establishes a geometric boundary, forming an outdoor ‘room’ that temporarily redefines the linear landscape of the river. This boundary is composed of slender vertical elements topped with solar light globes, accompanied by a suspended textile canopy that creates a light, permeable enclosure. The canopy lightly brushes against the vegetation on both banks, subtly incorporating the surrounding environment into the installation.

Access to the interior varies according to scale and movement: children pass beneath the fabric with ease, while adults must bend slightly to enter. Within, an angled pontoon is positioned off-center and is only reachable by stepping into the river. This element creates a pause in the flowing environment, offering a distinct moment of stillness and reflection within the temporary structure. The installation also integrates a narrow river crossing adjacent to the circular perimeter. A series of stepping stones is placed at stride-length intervals, encouraging deliberate movement between the festival’s camping area and the riverbank site. At night, the solar light globes provide minimal illumination, ensuring visibility while maintaining a subdued atmosphere.

the installation emerges among the riverbanks | all images by Cristian Bădescu, Zenaida Florea

Water flows freely beneath the Temporary textile Installation

Designed for Făgăraș Fest, organized by the Conservation Carpathia Association, the project by creative studio atelier VRAC reflects the festival’s dual purpose: to advocate for national park protection of the Făgăraș Mountains and to highlight the cultural potential of the local community. In a context where mountain streams face increasing pressures from micro-hydropower development, invasive construction, and unmanaged waste, the installation underscores the importance of maintaining the river landscape in an unaltered state.

Through its geometric clarity, lightweight materiality, and integration with natural flows, Temporary Installation at a Mountain River activates its site without altering it. The structure operates as both a spatial intervention and a reminder of the value of ecological preservation, positioning design as a tool for awareness and engagement within a fragile landscape.

the water flows freely beneath the structure

the installation frames a serene river view

a textile canopy forms a light, permeable enclosure

stepping stones encourage a deliberate, mindful passage

children can easily slip under the floating canopy

the circle creates a temporary outdoor ‘room’

the pontoon is accessible only by stepping into the river

a moment of stillness and reflection

vegetation gently brushes the fabric

feet meet the surface, stepping into the installation through the water

river’s stones keep the structure grounded

sunlight glimmers beneath the suspended canopy

the installation glows as night falls

solar globes provide minimal illumination

project info:

name: Temporary Installation at a Mountain River
architect: Atelier VRAC | @atelier.vrac

location: Sebeșu de Sus, Romania

design team: Cristian Bădescu, Zenaida Florea

commission: Conservation Carpathia

production & implementation: Hans Scherer, Sebastian Big, Oana Big

photographers: Cristian Bădescu, Zenaida Florea

video: Diana Ioana Bobeș

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Penique Productions takes over Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building with the inflatable and translucent installation, MATRIA. The monochromatic pink artwork forms part of the 2025 arts festival Now or Never, which runs between August 21st and 31st. It reimagines the 19th-century building as a living, breathing organism, transforming it into a warm, womb-like environment filled with sounds. The site-specific intervention uses gossamer, floaty balloons that crawl and cling onto the contours of the space, cloaking around it like an ephemeral blanket.

For MATRIA, the Barcelona-based collective draws on the idea of refuge, memory, and care. In fact, the name itself stems from ‘mother’ and ‘motherland.’ These themes run through the artwork inside Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building, as the installation recalls the state and sensation of being inside a mother’s womb. The plastic material gently sways as the wind blows, and the visitors pad around through the intervention with the background music, humming and pulsating, following their every step. Penique Productions, which has once brought their inflatable installation inside the semi-open atrium of Llanterna de L’Auditori in Barcelona, co-created the pink and translucent MATRIA in partnership with Museums Victoria. It is set to remain on-site until August 31st, 2025.

all images courtesy of Penique Productions

Pink Installation in Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building

MATRIA uses one inflatable membrane that covers the interior of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building. It measures approximately 150 meters long and 50 meters wide to match the architecture’s dimensions, and the public installation by the collective Penique Productions reaches 60 meters high at the dome peak. 

The inflatable system operates through continuous air pressure, all the while keeping the air circulation systems running throughout operating hours to keep the membrane inflated. The site-specific intervention also uses pink translucent plastic material, with sections connecting through heat-welded seams to create the complete structure. 

MATRIA uses one inflatable membrane that covers the interior of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building

Performances inside Matria during now or never arts festival

The plastic material permits light transmission while providing color filtration. In this case, the pink shade distributes evenly throughout the material, retaining the membrane’s minimal weight to reduce structural load on the building. MATRIA also serves as a performance stage throughout the run of the Now or Never arts festival until August 31st, 2025. Inside the installation. rRoxymore from Berlin performs electronic music from her release Juggling Dualities, which includes synthesizer work and sound design elements.

Alex Zhang Hungtai plays the saxophone, synthesis, and percussion, with improvisation techniques that respond to the acoustic properties of the inflated space. Amber McCartney, a dancer and choreographer from Melbourne, is set to perform leech 2 inside MATRIA, which includes prosthetics, masks, and special effects. She’s presenting alongside Shapednoise, also known as Nino Pedone, a producer and sound designer from Sicily. Then, there’s Shapednoise, who creates electronic music and sound design during Amber McCartney’s performance. Penique Productions’s MATRIA inside Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building forms part of the 2025 arts festival, Now or Never.

the material measures approximately 150 meters long and 50 meters wide to match the space’s dimensions

the public installation by the collective Penique Productions reaches 60 meters high at the dome peak

the inflatable system operates through continuous air pressure

the site-specific intervention also uses pink translucent plastic material with multiple connected sections

the plastic material permits light transmission while providing color filtration

the pink shade distributes evenly throughout the material

MATRIA also serves as a performance stage throughout the run of the Now or Never arts festival

the public art remains on-site until August 31st, 2025

project info:

name: MATRIA

collective: Penique Productions | @peniqueproductions

festival: Now or Never | @nowornever.melb

location: Royal Exhibition Building

address: 9 Nicholson St, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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The Puddle Pavilion by i/thee is a free-form canopy made from algae-based bio-resin cast directly on the ground with no formwork. The installation was sculpted through an additive process that the design team, led by Neal Lucas Hitch, refers to as Action Architecture. During construction, algae-based resin was poured, splattered, and flung onto the floor, left to settle naturally according to the principles of fluid dynamics, and then suspended atop slender custom steel columns to hover above Mud Creek in Bondurant, Iowa, outside Des Moines. The pavilion appears as a solidified resin river, or puddle, frozen in time, an abstract expressionist painting liberated from the canvas.

all images courtesy of i/thee

i/thee’s canopy fuses with the Landscape

The Puddle Pavilion is the second piece of infrastructure in an ongoing art implementation masterplan that studio i/thee has designed for the City of Bondurant, Iowa, following The Dining Room (2024), a set of intentionally eroded rammed-earth walls, and preceding The Garden (2026), a meandering fractal boardwalk. Serving as a canopy at the Eagle Park entrance to Mud Creek, the work invites visitors to linger and engage more deeply with the local ecology of the site. ‘With the Puddle Pavilion, we were interested in achieving formal literalism. Where other architects and artists have sought to create works ‘like’ or ‘as’ a flowing river, we aimed to sculpt a piece by literally capturing the ephemeral beauty of moving liquid frozen in time. The Puddle Pavilion is not a metaphor: it is not like a puddle, but rather it is a puddle, made by carefully poured layers of algae-based resin, left to find their own forms under the influence of natural forces such as gravity, surface tension, and fluid dynamics, as well as environmental variables including temperature and wind speed,’ shares designer Neal Lucas Hitch.

custom-fabricated joints connect the resin canopy to stainless steel columns

Abstract Realism in Resin and Steel

Tapping into the intrinsic beauty of natural phenomena, the installation embodies what we refer to as the oxymoron, Abstract Realism: abstract in the sense of being non-figurative and non-compositional; realist in the sense of being non-representational and non-symbolic, sculpted in participation with natural forces. ‘Here, art, architecture, is not a static object imposed top down by architects issuing plans, but a dynamic dance in which design is conceived as a negotiation, through the participation of architects, builders, and the natural environment working together in symbiosis,’ concludes i/thee’s lead designer.

the free-form canopy casts shade for visitors below

a solidified river of resin floats over the park landscape

sunlight filters through the edges of the semi-transparent resin

resin forms appear to merge with the surrounding sky and clouds

the sky is visible through openings in the resin canopy

resin was poured directly on the ground with no formwork and left to find its own form

resin poured, splattered, and flung in an additive process

the canopy is lofted above the site on slender stainless steel supports

the pavilion frames the entry stair to Mud Creek in Iowa

the form of the canopy echoes the natural currents of the adjacent creek

a puddle of algae-based bio-resin hovers above Mud Creek

algae-based bio-resin was cast with no formwork to create the hovering free-form surface

project info:

name: Puddle Pavilion

designer: i/thee | @i____thee

design team: Neal Lucas Hitch, Kristina Fisher, Martin Hitch

location: Bondurant, Iowa, US

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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The Art Dome Pavilion by Korean designer Hyunje Joo rises from the sands of Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, South Korea, as a transparent arc that flickers with movement and light. Commissioned by the Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation, the pavilion is an ephemeral installation which takes shape as a structural gesture, comprising 8,000 acrylic pixels that shift and shimmer with the coastal breeze.

8,000 transparent pixels reflect light and wind on Maengbang Beach | images © Min

hyunje joo’s Responsive Skin on the Shore

Located along the eastern coastline in Gangwon-do, artist Hyunje Joo’s Art Dome Pavilion responds directly to its environment. Each transparent pixel is layered by hand and catches sunlight and sea breeze to create a surface that feels in motion even when still. As daylight shifts, the refractions on the dome’s surface alternate between barely-there glints and saturated waves of color, reflecting the beach’s changing light conditions.

Visitors approaching the Art Dome Pavilion encounter a tactile boundary between land and sky, where the layered material refracts the surrounding scene. The sense of enclosure is delicate — more optical than physical — and the effect is quietly immersive. From inside the dome, the surrounding landscape dissolves into luminous fragments.

the installation captures the sunset and dusk as light is held within its shimmering pixels

pixelated Material Logic and Assembly

Hyunje Joo’s use of repetition and transparency forms the conceptual and structural basis for the Art Dome Pavilion. The 8,000 stacked components create a continuous, curved surface without relying on traditional cladding or framing systems. Instead, the installation depends on massing and careful alignment, allowing the material itself to define both structure and experience.

Rather than attempting to dominate the coastline, the pavilion exists in dialogue with its surroundings. Its curved footprint traces a subtle arc along the beach, framing views while remaining partially translucent. The shape encourages visitors to circle, enter, and dwell, offering varied perspectives that shift with each step.

the coastline is transformed into a living canvas

While the pavilion’s geometry remains fixed, its appearance is always changing. This mutability reinforces its symbolic role as a gathering point for personal aspirations. According to the client, the Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation, the installation reflects a broader hope: that visitors’ dreams and desires will shimmer through, each distinct in color and tone, much like the shifting pixels themselves.

Though minimal in palette and form, the Art Dome Pavilion delivers a reflective and porous spatial experience that’s at once open and enclosed. Hyunje Joo’s design invites repeated encounters, where the viewer’s position, the wind, and the weather all shape what the experience becomes.

as the sun sets, the pavilion glows with the sky’s changing palette

the colorful patterns ripple and shift with the breeze, mirroring the movement of light and air

as sunlight filters through the iridescent pixels, it casts vivid, mosaic-like shadows on the sand

project info:

name: Art dome Pavilion
designer: Hyunje Joo | @hyunjejoo

location: Maengbang Beach, Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
client: Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation
completion: 2025
photography: © Min

project team: Donghwan Kim, Wooseok Jo, Seungmin Lee, Jaeho Jeon, Junsik Eom, Wonhyeok Lee, Jimin Kim, Gwanghee Lim, Gayeon Park, Juhyo Lee, Irum Song, Chewon Lee, Donggeun Kwon, Horim Jeon, Eunbi Kim, Dayu Jeong (student at Kangwon National University), Kyunghee Kwak, Yoojin Kang, Younghye Kim. Dong-young Kim, Jungyeon Lee, Soyoung Min (Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation)
manufacturer: HAUS culture (Hogi Kim)
finish material: PE (hologram pixel)

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Installed along the edge of the Ebro River in Logroño, Spain, Habitar el Río by architect Erazo Pugliese creates a shaded pavilion for rest, observation, and exchange within a natural and urban landscape. Designed for Concéntrico 2025, the International Festival of Architecture and Design that annually activates urban spaces through temporary interventions, the hand-built structure connects an unused concrete dock with the fluctuating waterline of the river, transforming an overlooked passageway into a site for ecological awareness and collective inhabitation. 

Designed to host the rituals of rest, conversation, and observation, the structure also adapts to its surrounding environment. A southern facade opens to the river and shields the space from direct sun, and plywood panels on the northern side block glare and facilitate passive ventilation. These choices ensure the structure remains both shaded and thermally comfortable throughout the day, using natural airflow to dissipate heat absorbed by the concrete slab.

images courtesy of Erazo Pugliese, unless stated otherwise

Habitar el Río adapts to the site and its user’s needs

Conceived by Paris- and Izmir-based architect Erazo Pugliese within the framework of the festival’s theme, which foregrounded climate, water, food, and social ritual, Habitar el Río aims to reveal latent possibilities in public space. Positioned between a hard concrete pier and the seasonally changing riverbank, the pavilion reclaims an area once used for bathing and now reduced to a transient corridor.

The structure is built in collaboration with students from the Faculty of Architecture at CESUGA (Centro de Estudios Universitarios de Galicia), combining prefabrication in A Coruña with on-site assembly in Logroño. During its construction, the design adapted further in response to how the site was already being used. The team added a second bench to accommodate canoeists who used the platform to prepare equipment and instruct newcomers. 

After the festival’s conclusion and the dismantling of all temporary works, Habitar el Río was relocated to the village of Viniegra de Abajo, along the river Urbión in the mountains near Logroño, where it continues to serve as a modest retreat by the water. 

Habitar el Río is installed along the edge of the Ebro River in Logroño, Spain | image by Josema Cutillas

designed for Concéntrico 2025, the annual International Festival of Architecture and Design

a second bench accommodates canoeists who used the platform to prepare equipment

transforming an overlooked passageway into a site for ecological awareness | image by Josema Cutillas

the pavilion reclaims an area once used for bathing and now reduced to a transient corridor

built in collaboration with students from the Faculty of Architecture at CESUGA

combining prefabrication in A Coruña with on-site assembly in Logroño

project info:

name: Habitar el Rio / inhabiting the river
architect: Erazo Pugliese | @erazo_pugliese

location: Logroño, Spain

current site: Viniegra de Abajo, river Urbión, La Rioja, Spain

festival: Concéntrico 2025 – International Festival of Architecture and Design | @concentricofestival

collaborators: Students from CESUGA – Faculty of Architecture, A Coruña

construction support: Maderas Besteiro, Bandalux, Xunta de Galicia, PEFC Spain

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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