Cartier Women's Pavilion

Inspired by kumiko

Weaving Legacy and Innovation: Yuko Nagayama’s Vision for Cartier at Expo 2025

Cartier Women’s Pavilion: A Living Sculpture in Motion

At its core, this pavilion is an ecological act disguised as an artistic one. Inspired by kumiko, a traditional Japanese woodworking method that interlocks without nails or glue, the Pavilion’s lattice façade is both sustainable and symbolic. The pattern evokes interconnection, while its kinetic layering filters wind and sunlight organically. This natural breathability reduces the need for mechanical cooling, embodying the essence of passive design.

Rather than dominate the Expo landscape, the Pavilion invites introspection. The interior, crafted in close collaboration with Es Devlin, guides visitors through an immersive, story-led journey. Light is treated as a medium of memory, streaming through the wooden veil, shifting with time, never static.

Exterior view of the Women's Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, featuring a modern, geometric white lattice structure with trees and a water feature in the foreground.

What makes this pavilion distinctly moving is its commitment to soft power. Rather than assert its message through height or steel, it whispers it through joinery, wind, and light. It celebrates feminine architecture, quiet, circular, collaborative, drawing visitors inward rather than towering over them.

The Pavilion doesn’t merely house conversations about women and equity; it embodies them.

Indoor courtyard with a large round skylight overhead, surrounded by young trees and plants, and a curved pathway.
Modern architectural structure with a white geometric framework, surrounded by trees and a small pond, under a bright blue sky.
Indoor space called Women's Pavilion with plants, trees, and a glass ceiling with a geometric pattern.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to show the potential of reusing material. I hope the Women’s Pavilion will be a starting point, and eventually the issues that women face will be resolved and the next generation will no longer need a separate pavilion.”

— Yuko Nagayama

Design and Construction Team

Direction - Yuko nagayama, Tomosuke Hanatsumi, Asuka Fujita, Shun Saito, Hideo Yokota, Riku Matsui
Build - OBAYASHI COPRPORATION
Structural Design - OVE ARUP & PARTNERS JAPAN LTD
Lighting Plan - Izumi Okayasu Lighting Design
Planting Design - OGINO LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Pavilion Partners - CABINET OFFICE / MINISTRY OF ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY / EXPO ASSOCIATION
Lead Architect - YUKO NAGAYAMA ASSOCIATES
Global Artistic Lead - ES DEVLIN STUDIO
Photo - Nobutada Omote, Victor Picon