Expo 2025 Qatar Pavilion
Using a traditional Qatari wooden dhow boat, the pavilion was designed to express the connection between Qatar and Japan, two countries that share the same seafaring heritage. A white membrane, reminiscent of a ship’s sail, covers the wooden exhibition space, and a ship floating on the sea is created by the surrounding water table.
The membrane is curved like a sail in the wind and connected to a series of symbolic arches at the foot of the building, creating a seaside promenade that evokes Islamic geometry.
The wooden box built inside the membrane is finished with cedar paneling and coated with three different colors of paint to replicate the color of the century-old dhow boats.
In this age of images and objects, we thought that the Expo should allow visitors to feel the air, light, and wind of a faraway place. Architecture does not need to have a form, display objects, or project images. This architecture is a tool to give people a free and comfortable place at the water’s edge of Qatar. When we walk along the waterfront promenade, feeling the wind blowing through the white membrane and wooden boxes, we become one with Qatar.
