UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka wins silver for standout design at Asia Awards

In yet another milestone achievement, the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka has been awarded the Silver Award at the DFA Design for Asia Awards 2025, recognising its outstanding architectural and design excellence on an international stage.

Organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre, the Awards celebrate exceptional design projects across the region, honouring works that demonstrate creativity, cultural meaning, sustainability and a positive contribution to society.

Designed by the Earth to Ether Design Collective, the UAE Pavilion stood out for seamlessly bringing together architecture, heritage and narrative throughout its six-month presence at the World Expo, held from April 13 to October 13 in Osaka.

Inspired by the date palm tree, a symbol deeply rooted in the UAE’s identity, the Pavilion featured 90 towering rachis columns, rising up to 16 metres to form a shaded canopy reminiscent of a welcoming desert oasis.

This spatial vision reflected the Pavilion’s central theme, ‘Earth to Ether’, conveying the UAE’s journey from its ancestral roots to future-focused innovation. Emirati vernacular architecture was placed in thoughtful dialogue with Japanese craftsmanship, most notably through the reinterpretation of traditional areesh building techniques using precision Japanese woodworking methods.

The collaboration extended beyond structure to landscapes and materials. Trees inspired by Japan’s Satoyama ecosystems were combined with tones and textures evocative of the UAE’s natural environment. Meanwhile, innovative materials such as Datecrete and Dateform, created from date seeds and palm frond waste, reinforced the Pavilion’s commitment to sustainability and circular design.

Shihab Alfaheem, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Japan and Commissioner General of the UAE Pavilion, said the award recognises the collective effort behind the project.

“Earth to Ether was brought to life by a collective of partners from the UAE, Japan and around the world who believed in creating a space that carries meaning and enhances cross-cultural exchange. The recognition is a tribute to that shared effort and to a design story that reflects the values of our nation,” he said, adding that more than five million visitors chose the Pavilion as a favourite destination during Expo 2025.

The DFA jury panel reviewed entries from more than 20 economies, with judging criteria covering creativity, cultural insight, human-centred design, sustainability and regional impact.

This latest accolade adds to a growing list of honours for the UAE Pavilion, which had earlier been recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) as one of the top three national pavilions at Expo 2025, along with winning the World Expo Award for Best Staff and receiving an Honourable Mention for Best Sustainable Design.