The Czech pavilion at Expo 2025 received an award for the architectural design of the building

Osaka - The Czech pavilion at the World Expo 2025 has received an award from the expert jury for its extraordinary architectural work. The International Exhibition Bureau (BIE) awarded the Czech pavilion a silver prize in the category of small and medium-sized pavilions up to 1500 cubic meters for its architectural solution, which combines tradition, innovation, and sustainability, the organizers of the Czech participation at this year’s Expo announced today.

Over one and a half million people visited the Czech pavilion in Osaka, Japan. The pavilion's design, shaped like a glass spiral, emerged from an open architectural competition won by Apropos Architects in March 2023.

The form of the pavilion refers to the centuries-old Czech glass tradition and connects modern architecture with a bold sculptural approach. The architects used wood instead of metal for the bearing structure. They then applied artistic glass to the facade. "The entire project is the result of extraordinary efforts not only from our team of architects but also from the builders who realized the pavilion,” noted Michal Gabaš, the author of the architectural design of the Czech national pavilion from Apropos Architects.

Thus, the Czech pavilion at the World Expo EXPO 2025 received its fourth award at the end of the exhibition. The pavilion, which welcomed an average of 12,000 to 14,000 visitors daily, was honored by the EU for its hospitality on Friday and also received a statue of the European mascot Europa. During its sixth independent participation in a world exhibition, the Czech Republic also received a gold medal for People’s Choice.

"The awards we received are proof that the Czech Republic succeeded in captivating visitors not only with its content but also with its original architectural solution. (...) We continued the legendary success of the Czechoslovak pavilion at Expo 1970 in Osaka - exactly 55 years later, we once again managed to attract the Japanese audience,” recalled Ondřej Soška, the general commissioner of the Czech participation at Expo 2025.

The bearing structure of the Czech pavilion was made of modern wooden CLT panels. Cross-laminated timber, or CLT, is a technology of modern wooden construction that uses panels of perpendicular layers of solid wood, which are strong, dimensionally stable, and eco-friendly.

The World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, concluded on Monday after half a year, having attracted more than 25 million visitors. The next World Expo will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2030.