Three million visitors and two awards from the BIE: the German Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka

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The image is a logo lockup for the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, specifically highlighting Germany's participation. It is split into three main sections on a white background: Left Side: Expo 2025 Logo On the far left is the official logo for the Expo 2025. It features a striking, abstract design composed of several connected red circular shapes, giving it an organic, cell-like appearance. Scattered within these red shapes are blue "eyes" of various sizes, adding a whimsical and somewhat surreal touch. To the right of the logo, the text is stacked: "OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN" in small, red, uppercase text. "EXPO" in large, bold red text. "2025" in large, bold blue text. Center: Separator Line A thin vertical gray line separates the Expo 2025 branding from the German participant branding. Right Side: German Participant Logo The right side features a design associated with Germany's presence at the Expo. It consists of three interlocking rings—black, red, and yellow—representing the colors of the German national flag. Black Ring: The top ring, with the Japanese characters "わ!ドイツ" ("Wa! Doitsu") meaning "Wow! Germany" written above it. Red Ring: The middle ring, with small text reading "Expo 2025 Osaka" around its perimeter. Yellow Ring: The bottom ring, with text reading "wa! Germany" around its perimeter. Bottom Text Spanning the bottom center of the entire design is the text: "OFFICIAL PARTICIPANT" in black, capitalized letters, confirming Germany's status in the event. Overall, the image is a clean, modern graphic design that visually links the international event with the specific participating nation.

After 184 days at Expo 2025 Osaka, the German Pavilion “Wa! Germany” has closed its doors – an event that can be summed up as an all-round success. Together with its partners, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) as the responsible institution, can look back on a strong showing. One highlight of note: in its final days, the world exhibition welcomed its three-millionth visitor.

Furthermore, the German Pavilion was honored by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) with two awards for Type A pavilions: the Sustainability Award and the Silver Award for Theme Development. The Sustainability Award honors pavilions that integrate the theme of sustainability in an exemplary manner — both in terms of content and practical implementation. The Silver Award for Theme Development recognizes pavilions that interpret and present the Expo’s main theme in a particularly convincing, creative, and coherent way.
More than three million people from all over the world visited the German Pavilion, including numerous high-ranking delegations and representatives from politics, business, science, sports and media. More than 90 celebrities signed the pavilion’s guest book. The international media’s response was positive throughout and particular praise was heaped on the consistently circular design, the immersive exhibition and the “Circulars” as mascots.

“Our aim was to present Germany as a country of innovation and a driving force for the future. Welcoming over three million enthusiastic visitors and receiving the BIE’s Sustainability Award as well as the Silver Award for Theme Development is a tremendous achievement for our pavilion.,” emphasizes Commissioner General Patrick Specht from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

The interpretation of the leitmotif “Mutually shaping a circular world” was consistently reflected in the architecture, design and programme. The pavilion unified nature and technology to create a unique experience that guided visitors on an emotional and interactive journey.

Themes like circular construction, urban agriculture, hydrogen technologies and circular fashion were presented just as vividly – enhanced by impulses and inspirations on how each and every one of us can contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle. The visitors’ responses were overwhelmingly positive: Surveys showed that over 96 per cent rated the pavilion as “very good” and “good” – many even described it as one of the best at the Expo.The Circular mascots were true crowd pleasers: To the delight of the public, these lovable, round costumed figures accompanied guests as multimodal audio guides. In an Expo popularity contest, visitors voted the Circular the most popular pavilion mascot at the World Expo – triumphal proof of the strong emotional vibe the character created. Now, the end of the Expo in Osaka marks the conclusion of a project that impressively positioned Germany as an innovative powerhouse and liberal-minded member of the international community. The concepts and technologies showcased at the German Pavilion made it clear that the future viability of our society is not a remote vision, but an achievable and lived reality.

Background Information
Expo 2025 Osaka takes place from 13 April to 13 October 2025. With the overarching theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, 150 countries present their visions for the future. Japan is hosting the World Expo for the third time, following Osaka (1970) and Aichi (2005). The organiser expects around 28 million visitors.

Project responsibility overview
On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Koelnmesse GmbH is responsible for the organisation and operation of the German Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. The concept, planning and implementation of the German Pavilion are the responsibility of the “German Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka Consortium”, consisting of the companies facts and fiction (content, exhibition and media design) and GL events Live (building and construction) with the support of the Japanese branch. Laumann / Scheßl / Weismüller are taking over the technical construction supervision of the project. The architectural concept was designed by LAVA Architects (Berlin). The cultural agency VOSS+FISCHER together with Mike P. Heisel are responsible for the cultural programme. The pavilion’s restaurant and shop are run by the catering expert 78degrees.

 

Photo: (c) German Pavillon

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