html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" The France Pavilion at the Osaka World Expo 2025, created by the French architecture firm Coldefy in collaboration with the Italian design and innovation firm CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, is currently open until October 13, 2025.With its design framing moments of presence, movement, and connection, the France Pavilion is intended to be a "theatre of life." The Pavilion's architecture, which draws inspiration from mise-en-scène, or stage design and layout, is a flowing series of spaces that lead visitors through shifting perspectives that reflect the beginning, transition, pause, and departure rhythms of daily life.The Japanese tale of Akai Ito, the invisible red thread that binds destined souls, serves as the inspiration for the design. The Pavilion reclaims physical space as a forum for conversation in an era characterized by digital estrangement. A peaceful inner garden provides sanctuary, highlighting the importance of interactions with nature as much as with each other.Its dynamic façade responds to light and wind thanks to 17-meter-high fabric veils that resemble theater curtains and are suspended along two sides. A meticulously planned sequence of steps leads through the Pavilion, rising to an indoor exhibition, changing between indoor and outdoor areas, and culminating with a return to the Expo grounds.With its circular design and prefabricated and modular components, the Pavilion reflects a vision of architecture that is as flexible as life itself by ensuring that its materials may be disassembled and reused.The architectural concept of the Pavilion is based on sensory experience and theatricality. Visitors are welcomed into an expanding experience by the balcony and entrance stairway, which constitute a stage. As a component of the building's façade, the winding staircase blurs the lines between the Pavilion's inside and exterior and fosters a conversation between the two, making everyone feel welcome and open.Visitors travel a round route that circles the center of the exhibition, passing through various themed areas before exiting into a tiny garden and returning to the Pavilion for one more outdoor experience. In contrast to conventional linear experiences, this journey echoes the Pavilion's overarching themes by reflecting cycles and pulsations while showcasing French savoir-faire or knowhow.Three "acts" are used by visitors to experience the Pavilion: The first is the ascent, which leads to an observation deck via a sensuous staircase.  Second, Exhibition Journey: As visitors enter, they make their way through a number of carefully planned areas where they come across installations and scenic features related to the Pavilion's themes. Garden Interlude: Upon exiting, guests are greeted by an auditory landscaped space that provides a chance for introspection before returning to the internal areas.Final Transition emphasizes the rhythmic flow between inside and outdoors, the journey comes to a close with a return to the open air and the Expo site."Infused with a spirit of play, the France Pavilion is a dynamic, flexible space that sparks unexpected encounters. In an era of increasing polarization, physical space offers a much-needed antidote. Unlike the digital realm, it forces us to confront diversity and engage with perspectives that might challenge our preconceptions," said Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA and Curator of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. "This mirrors the mission of today’s World Expos, as vibrant hubs for open dialogue and discovery. It’s an honor to bring CRA’s ongoing research to Osaka and contribute to France's part in this global dialogue – a place that has shaped so much of my thinking, from studying at the École des Ponts to this moment," Ratti added.The Pavilion embraces modularity and material reuse in its circular approach. In addition to being a dynamic visual feature, its movable curtain facade is made to be disassembled and reused following the event.To make future dismantling easier, the Pavilion incorporates as many temporary and prefabricated elements as feasible. For instance, the office spaces are housed in container structures. These design decisions ensure minimum impact on the environment, simplicity in reconfiguration, and flexibility after the Expo. The Pavilion is an adaptable building that reflects how architecture and exhibition spaces are changing in response to modern issues rather than being a static monument."The France Pavilion invites visitors to enter the theatre of life. Both actors and spectators in this production, visitors traverse a path through the Pavilion that is an expression of the symbiosis between humanity and its environment," said Thomas Coldefy, founding partner of Coldefy."It’s an honor to have been chosen to design the France Pavilion, and we truly believe that the World Expo has the potential to create a moment of reflection – about how we live, what we value, and how design can shape better futures. Even a brief experience – whether it’s a spatial gesture, a surprising material, or a shared moment – can resonate deeply," Coldefy added.French architecture studio Coldefy and Italian architecture and innovation practice Carlo Ratti Associati unveiled the design of the French Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025 in January 2024. Site planCirculation DiagramAxonometric DiagramFacade ActivationProgram DiagramPavilion DiagramGround Floor PlanLevel 1 Floor PlanLevel 2 Floor PlanLevel 3 Floor PlanLevel 4 Floor PlanSite SectionCRA-Carlo Ratti Associati is a global design and innovation firm with offices in New York City and Turin, Italy. The office, which draws from Carlo Ratti's work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is currently working on numerous projects all over the world that cover every possible intervention scale, from furniture to urban planning.Thomas Coldefy and Isabel Van Haute established Coldefy, a global architecture and urban planning firm, in 2006. The firm has offices in Lille, Paris, and Shanghai. Coldefy's sensitive architecture produces balanced environmental, urban, and social compositions that push the limits of cities and living, and there are projects and construction sites all over the world.Project factsProject name: France Pavilion, Osaka World Expo 2025Location: Osaka, JapanSurface: 3,600 m2 Net AreaProject Cost: 22 M EurosProgramme: Exhibition halls, reception hall, office, shop, café Environmental Certification: CASBEEWinning Competition: 2023 Delivery: 2025Project Owner: COFREX General Contractor: RimondProject TeamClient: COFREXArchitects: Coldefy + CRA-Carlo Ratti AssociatiLocal architects and engineers: Yasui SekkeiGeneral contractor: Rimond TeamColdefy: Thomas Coldefy, Isabel Van Haute, Zoltán Neville, Martin Mercier, Marianna Guarino, Léo Akahori, Leonardo Ronchi, Shuai WangCRA-Carlo Ratti Associati: Carlo Ratti, Andrea Cassi (partner in charge), Ina Sefgjini, Gizem Veral, Zeynep Kalaycioglu, Jelena Krco, Gabriele Sacchi, Alba Leon Alvarez, Marie Petrault, Antoine PiconPartnersLocal Architects & Engineers: Yasui SekkeiCompetition Partners: Bollinger + Grohmann (Structural engineers), Coloco (Landscape architects), Ramboll (Environmental engineers), de_form (Graphics/signage) Scenographers: Justine Emard, GSM ProjectAll images: France Pavilion at the Osaka World Expo 2025 © Coldefy & CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati. Images © Julien Lanoo.All drawings © Coldefy + CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati.> via Coldefy & Carlo Ratti Associati