【Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai UAE Pavilion】Awarded Gold at "iF Design Award 2026"

The UAE Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai has received the highest honor, a Gold Award, in the "Interior Architecture (Exhibitions/Temporary Installations)" category at the internationally renowned "iF Design Award 2026". This award was selected from over 11,000 entries from around the world, recognizing the pavilion's excellent design, strong concept, and high degree of completion. Conceived under the theme "Earth to Ether," the UAE Pavilion depicted progress as a continuous human journey, connecting tradition, community, and accumulated knowledge with science, technology, and a forward-looking vision. Through an integrated spatial design that combined architecture, landscape, and visitor experience, it provided an immersive experience guided by materials, light, and narrative. His Excellency Shihab Al Faheem, Government Representative of the UAE Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates to Japan, stated: "This award demonstrates the success of the pavilion's design approach and the collaboration with diverse partners who brought it to life. We are delighted that a space designed with clear intent, where architecture, materials, and visitor experience are integrated, has been recognized in this way. We are proud to have delivered a special experience exploring the past and future of the UAE to over 5 million visitors through this pavilion." At the core of the pavilion's architectural features were 90 columns, reaching up to 16 meters in height, made from date palm frond stems (rakis). These created shaded spaces that enveloped visitors, fostering an atmosphere of tranquility and interaction within the venue. Traditional materials were reinterpreted through collaboration between modern architectural technology and Japanese craftsmanship, embodying a fusion of cultural insights and refined techniques. The design of this pavilion is also characterized by its perception of tradition and innovation not as opposing forces, but as continuous relationships. The idea that cultural memory serves as the foundation for research and development, and that responsibility towards people and nature guides future design, permeated the entire space. The "iF Design Award," organized by iF International Forum Design GmbH, based in Hanover, Germany, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious design awards. Since its inception in 1954, it has honored outstanding designs with clear concepts, innovation, and social significance across diverse fields such as product, architecture, and communication. During Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the UAE Pavilion welcomed over 5 million visitors in total, recording the highest number of visitors among all international pavilions. Visitors were guided from shaded gathering spaces resembling groves to immersive exhibits, experiencing the people, ideas, and future vision of the UAE through a multi-sensory journey that blended architecture and storytelling. This award adds another achievement to the numerous international accolades the pavilion has already received. These include selection among the top 3 national pavilions in the Architecture and Landscape category by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), winning the Best Staff Award at the World Expo Awards, a Special Award in the Sustainable Design category, a Bronze Award in the Large Pavilion category at the World Expolympic, and high recognition at the DFA Asia Design Awards and German Design Awards. About the UAE Expo Office: The UAE Expo Office is a national platform aimed at bringing together people, ideas, and innovation to contribute to global progress. Established by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and operating under the purview of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this office leads the UAE's strategic participation in international expos. Most recently, it oversaw the participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. The UAE Expo Office was founded with the clear mission to connect people and innovation to address challenges facing humanity. Guided by values of optimism, openness, ambition, and resilience, it creates engaging and meaningful experiences that foster collaboration across cultures, disciplines, and generations. Through strategic partnerships and meticulously crafted programs, it accelerates progress in areas such as education, healthcare, sustainable technology, and space exploration. While contributing to the goals of each Expo, it also generates unique value for the UAE by creating new content, ideas, and initiatives that might not have otherwise emerged.