Global architecture design firm Buchan will lead the design for the Australian Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka (Expo).
Buchan CEO Stephen Auld said the 130-year-old firm is honoured to be selected to design the Australian Pavilion on behalf of the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
“Our appointment on this project reflects the collective design strength of our team, which brings together architecture and design talent from across Buchan globally,” said Auld.
Buchan Creative Lead on the bid, Dong Uong, described the team’s bold, future-forward design proposal as a celebration of Australia and our connection with the sun.
“Australia’s Expo theme, ’Chasing the Sun’, anchors our design narrative, which encapsulates both the power and beauty of the sun on the land and people over tens of thousands of years. The Pavilion will be a symbol of the warmth, energy and optimism of the Australian people, and take design cues from Australia’s natural beauty,” Uong said.
Lead Architect, Nataly Ernst, highlights Buchan’s design and ESG aspirations for the national pavilion. “Our goal with the pavilion is to make an indelible impact, without leaving a trace,” said Ernst. “The architecture will be guided by sustainable design principles and materials.”
Buchan will partner with Japanese architectural and urban design firm, Nikken Sekkei to deliver the project in Osaka. The two firms have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, collaborating on many successful projects over the last decade.
The Australian Pavilion will be represented alongside 150 participating nation’s pavilions at Expo, which is anticipated to attract 28 million visitors from across the globe from 13 April 2025 to 13 October 2025.
The Australian Pavilion consultant team working alongside Buchan as Lead Designer includes Nikken Sekkei – Local Architect, Japan; McGregor Coxall – Landscape; Barbara Bynder, Karrda Pty Ltd – Indigenous Cultural Advisor; AECOM – Services & Environmental; MGAC – DDA/ Access; Dr Chetana Andary – Exhibition Design (Aus); and, TANSEISHA Co. Ltd – Exhibition Design (Japan).
For more information on Expo Osaka 2025 and the Australia Pavilion visit https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/expo-2025-osaka
About Expo 2025 Osaka
Expo 2025 Osaka, ‘Designing Future Society for our Lives’, will focus on developing and adopting best practices from around the world to drive co-creation by the global community in designing a sustainable society that supports social challenges, emerging sciences and evolving technologies.
For more information on Expo Osaka 2025 and the Australia Pavilion visit https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/expo-2025-osaka
About Buchan
Buchan is an acclaimed global architecture, interior, masterplanning and brand-experience studio with distinction in retail, commercial, mixed-use, residential, hotels and hospitality.
For 130 years, Buchan has created assets of enduring architectural quality and magnitude, worldwide. Buchan’s extensive portfolio spans boutique, intimate settings through to large-scale buildings and urbanscapes.
Buchan’s diverse and talented global team of 250 design experts operate from 8 studios across 11 regions.
buchangroup.com
| Project | Australia Pavilion, Expo 2025 |
| Location | Osaka, Japan |
| Client | Federal Government, Represented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| Lead Designer/ Architect | Buchan |
| Bid Design Team | Nataly Ernst – Lead Architect Dong Uong – Creative Lead Crispin Schurr – Project Architect Rob Baxter – Project Designer Patrick Shirley – Senior Designer Arno Pieters - Project Architect Court Harlow – Project Designer Will Perkin – Project Designer |
| Project Consultant Team | Nikken Sekkei – Local Architect, Japan McGregor Coxall – Landscape Architect AECOM – Engineering Karrda Pty Ltd – Indigenous Cultural Advisor MGAC – DDA/ Access Dr Chetana Andary – Exhibition Design & Concept Curator (Aus) TANSEISHA Co. Ltd – Local Exhibition Design (Japan) |
Photography by Kishan Dhameliya
Pictured top to bottom: Rob Baxter, Harriet O’Reilly, Dong Uong (Creative Lead), Crispin Schurr, Patrick Shirley, Nataly Ernst (Lead Architect + Project Lead), Rafe Delaney, Court Harlow, Long Tran.
