08/12: Osaka
Expo 2025, Blue Ocean Dome
Shigeru Ban’s Blue Ocean Dome, organized by ZERI JAPAN with exhibition concept by NDC, was conceived as a pavilion for marine conservation and zero-waste futures. The structure comprises three domes: Dome A, built of bamboo and open to natural light; Dome B, centered on a massive LED spherical screen; and Dome C, constructed from Ban’s signature paper tubes for workshops and events.
Inside, architecture and exhibition fused into a narrative of ecological urgency—immersive projections, kinetic installations, and structural expressiveness visualized cycles of water, marine ecosystems, and waste flows. At times, the massive spherical screen carried the scale and sensorial charge of an Anish Kapoor installation—pulling viewers into an enveloping field rather than presenting content in a straightforward way.
Beyond these theatrical moments, what lingered was the atmosphere: the way light filtered through, the softness of the materials, the sense that air, water, and structure were breathing together. The pavilion framed water not just as subject but as collaborator. In its sensitivity, it recalled the elemental clarity of Nishizawa and Naitō’s Teshima Art Museum—translated here into the scale and spectacle of an expo pavilion.