11/07/2025
Taking time to step away from the desk can be one of the best things we do for creative work. This April, our Klive Asia creative team embarked on a design discovery trip — not for a client brief, but to refresh our perspective and expand the way we think about space, storytelling, and innovation.
With the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, this year’s Expo gathers over 150 countries and organizations to explore what a better future could look like — socially, environmentally, and technologically. Held on the man-made Yumeshima Island, the Expo site is shaped like a circular loop, known as the Grand Ring, which encourages discovery, reflection, and connection through design.
As a team that thrives on crafting experiences through exhibitions and live events, this was our playground.
🔍 What We Came to Explore
This wasn’t a typical benchmarking trip. We came with three key goals:
To understand how the world is telling stories spatially — through architecture, interaction, and immersion.
To observe how emotional resonance is built into physical environments, especially with themes like sustainability, accessibility, and cultural storytelling.
To bring back insights that will help us serve our clients more meaningfully — with smarter concepts, bolder creativity, and more thoughtful narratives.
💡 First Impressions: The Expo as a Living Design Ecosystem
Expo 2025 didn’t feel like an event — it felt like a prototype city for the future.
Some pavilions soared with kinetic architecture and digital spectacle. Others invited slow contemplation with soft textures, warm acoustics, and curated scents. But together, they formed a rhythm — of surprise, thoughtfulness, and a collective push toward progress.
Sustainability was not just a feature — it was an underlying principle. And one pavilion captured this beautifully.
🇩🇪 Germany Pavilion: “WA!” — Harmony in Action
Titled “WA!” — the Japanese word for harmony — the Germany Pavilion is a stunning example of circular design, built not just to impress, but to regenerate.
Designed by LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture), the pavilion is structured as a spiral of seven timber rings, forming an upward path of discovery. Each level highlights a key theme — from clean energy to circular living — tied to the message that future societies must live in balance with nature.
Here’s what stood out to us:
✔️ Built to Breathe: The architecture uses renewable and biodegradable materials — including glulam timber, hempcrete, bamboo, and even mycelium. The building integrates 21 real trees, bioswales for stormwater management, and passive cooling techniques that reduce the need for air conditioning. It feels alive — and it is.
✔️ Experience Before Explanation: Instead of relying on panels or displays, the pavilion is a tactile journey. Visitors grow digital trees, activate audio cues with RFID tokens, and make hands-on sustainability choices in real time — using physical interaction to drive emotional connection.
✔️ Circular at Every Level: From design to disassembly, the pavilion is a closed loop. Every element has a life after the Expo — either biodegradable, recyclable, or reusable. It’s architecture with a conscience, and a roadmap for future-proofed experience design.
Bonus delight? 🟢 The mascot “Circular”, a kawaii-style audio guide, helps visitors navigate the space in Japanese, English, and German. More than a cute face, it personalizes learning and makes dense ideas more accessible.
🚀 What’s Next in the Series
In future posts, we’ll share more insights from standout pavilions.
We’ll also reflect on how these encounters are influencing the way we design exhibitions, events, and spaces with deeper meaning back home.
Until then — we’d love to hear from you:
🔁 What space or experience has changed the way you think about design?
👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments
Follow Klive Asia for Part 2 of our Expo series
!Germany
