28/11/2024
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28/11/2024
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Kuwaiti pavilion at the Osaka 2025 Expo
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 28: Kuwait's pavilion at Osaka's 2025 Expo, is a narrative of two parts with the base level telling a story of heritage and tradition while the higher level is a display of future aspirations, remarked Dr. Emad Al-Qattan, expo technical team member.
In an interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Al-Qattan, also a professor of Kuwait University Architecture Faculty, mentioned that the pavilion allows visitors to embark on an immersive journey through Kuwait's past, present, and future.
The area where the two layers meet is known as the pearl, described Al-Qattan, explaining that it is to commemorate role of pearl diving industry in Kuwaiti economy, and its deeply rooted seafaring history.
He stated that each space in the pavilion, which takes the name Visionary Lighthouse, tells a different story using interactive technologies and Artificial Intelligence techniques.
Dr. Al-Qattan spoke of the various areas including the gardens, VIP hall, galleries, and a restaurant offering a unique culinary experience intermingling Kuwaiti and Japanese cuisines.
The pavilion's design draws inspiration from the distinctive Kuwaiti architectural style, as it includes "Al-Housh" courtyard area and "Diwaniya" area, a place of social gatherings, he added.
The waved design encapsulates both desert and sea environments as the rolling scenery is an interpretation of sand dunes and sea waves, it also extends from the exterior to the interior even makes its way to intricate details of souvenirs, creating a cohesive experience for visitors.
The desert environment is an integral part of Kuwaiti identity, as it tells the tale of how Kuwaiti people adapted to harsh circumstances transforming it into livable conditions, a tale of determination and innovation across the ages, Al-Qattan elucidated.
As for design's color scheme, the deliberate use of sandy and earthy tones in the lower section paints a vivid picture of the environment and heritage, while the paler tones in the upper sections provide a clear surface for colorful light to reflect on.
The roof is designed to be neither open nor closed, allowing natural lighting to filter through in Al-Housh area while also providing the waiting area with shade.
The Expo's overarching theme, designing future society for our lives, proposes solutions to achieve further prosperity and affluence, Al-Qattan mentioned adding the Kuwaiti pavilion adopted the subtheme Kuwait of empowering lives.
The lighthouse is not just a design and a name but it carries meaning of empowerment as it lights the path of passersby, as does the state of Kuwait, reflected Al-Qattan.
Encircling the Expo will be a ring that grants strolling visitors aerial views of the pavilions, including Kuwaiti, a beacon lighting the way.
Dr. Al-Qattan highlighted Kuwait's participation in Expo 2025, 55 years after having participated at Osaka's Expo of 1970 as an indication of the depth of diplomatic Kuwaiti-Japanese relations.
In the past, he told KUNA, expos were a place to showcase inventions and achievements, with time the very designs became a display of development and innovation.
The expo, set to launch in April and extend October, will be held on artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay, taking up 3,500 square meters of space.
