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ABU DHABI / WAM
The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka has won the Silver Award at the DFA Design for Asia Awards, organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre. The award recognises outstanding designs across Asia for their cultural depth, creativity and social impact, underscoring the pavilion’s global architectural standing.
Over the six-month Expo, the pavilion delivered an integrated vision combining architecture, craftsmanship, and storytelling. Drawing design inspiration from the UAE’s iconic date palm tree, the pavilion reinterprets areesh — traditional Emirati vernacular architecture — by integrating agricultural date palm waste with masterful Japanese woodworking expertise.
The pavilion’s signature feature is its striking forest of 90 rachis columns, soaring up to 16 metres. Created by the Earth to Ether Design Collective – an interdisciplinary network of Emirati and Japanese creatives, the Pavilion is a testament to integrated, global collaboration.
Shihab Al Faheem, UAE Ambassador to Japan and Commissioner General of the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, said the award reflects the creative collaboration behind the pavilion’s development. He noted that partners from the UAE, Japan and other countries worked together to create a culturally resonant space that promotes dialogue and shared values.
He added that the pavilion authentically expresses the UAE’s identity and its vision for a future based on openness and mutual progress.
Al Faheem also highlighted that more than five million visitors chose the pavilion as one of their preferred destinations at Expo 2025 Osaka, drawn by its multi-sensory experience and human-focused message.