When Trahan Architects shared its design for the USA Pavilion, it described the temporary structure as “a beacon for the country, celebrating the best of American ideas on the world stage.” The USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, is now complete. The floating cube Trahan Architects envisioned is inspired by Japanese torii gates and showcases the United States’s history of architectural innovation. The temporary structure was designed by Trahan Architects, alongside HOOD Design Studio, Dot Dash Lighting Design, BRC Imagination Arts, Alchemy International, Studio Loutsis, Ricca, and ES Global. Trahan Architects described the USA Pavilion as “a welcoming gateway.” The design’s defining feature is a translucent cube that appears to float, acting as a threshold between the Pavilion’s public plaza and contemplative, private courtyard. The cube is made of a bespoke steel system, a modular timber facade and repurposed ES Global equipment, to maximize cost efficiency. Within the central sloping “canyon,” large screens show photographs and video footage from throughout the United States and outer space, akin to Ray and Charles Eames’s Glimpses of the USA at the American National Exhibition in Moscow circa 1959. The cube is made of a bespoke steel system, a modular timber facade and repurposed ES Global equipment to maximize cost efficiency. (© Hufton + Crow) This latest iteration also recalls Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s unbuilt proposal for the US Pavilion at Expo ’92 in Seville, Spain, in which a giant American flag comprises the entire facade—an over the top display of patriotism, albeit an ironic one. Landscaping is also a component of the pavilion design. (© Hufton + Crow) A narrow opening allows natural light to pass through and into the pavilion. (© Hufton + Crow) Trahan Architects’s design looked to the gates typically found at the entryways to Shinto shrines. It is instantly recognizable from the Grand Ring that encircles Expo 2025’s national pavilions, the architects continued. At the rear of the pavilion is a serenity garden where two wings meet. The walls were positioned so as to not touch completely, allowing a sliver of natural light to pass through and into the small garden. The USA Pavilion encompasses 31,000-square-feet—its interior exhibition program was crafted by BRC Imagination Arts. “Imagine What We Can Create Together” is the unifying exhibition theme. An animated star named “Spark” serves as the mascot, leading visitors through the Pavilion, which showcases domestic innovations in agriculture, nanotechnology, and more. “In designing the Pavilion, we sought to create a bold, memorable building that was emblematic of the United States’ history of architectural innovation,” Trahan added. “Our design is centered around public space and visitor experience—architecture that is at once minimalist and monumental, inspired by its Japanese context.” The USA Pavilion showcases breakthroughs in science and technology. (© Hufton + Crow) Expo 2025 gathers hundreds of countries, and was created to showcase new technologies and products. It arrives as the world finds itself in the throes of an embittered trade war between the United States and China (and other countries), amounting to what surely constitutes the elephant in the room between visitors, diplomats, and corporate representatives. Expo 2025 opens on April 13 and closes October 13. It’s anticipated to receive millions of visitors throughout its six-month duration.