The timber used in at least 26 of 84 pavilions showcased at last year’s Osaka-Kansai World Expo will be repurposed and reused in projects worldwide. That is according to a new report in the Japan Times, which reveals that the organisers of the Expo – the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition – will firm up their plans for the Expo venues over the next few weeks.
“Five pavilions, including the Netherlands Pavilion, will be relocated in their entirety,” according to the report. “Seventeen pavilions that made extensive use of leased construction materials are each assigned a value of one, as the materials will be returned to their lessors, and eight pavilions that will be partially relocated are each assigned a value of 0.5,” they said, revealing that the new figure is a significant increase on the 18 originally slated for reuse.
It comes after Wood Central last month revealed that more than 1,200 cubic metres of timber from the Grand Ring will be repurposed and used in 50 quake‑proof disaster‑relief houses, after Suzu’s local government confirmed that up to 5% of the wood used in the two‑kilometre superstructure will be redeployed to support thousands of residents devastated by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
Championed by Shigeru Ban, the Pritzker Prize‑winning architect renowned for pioneering construction systems using cardboard, bamboo, and plywood, the plans will hopefully “give people a reason to look at the reality of the disaster area,” and come after the architect responsible for the Grand Ring, Sou Fujimoto, warned that up to 70% of the timber used in the world’s largest architecturally designed wooden structure was at risk of being chipped and sold as firewood.
Wood Central understands that construction crews late last year began dismantling the ring, which, during the Expo, used more than 27,000 cubic metres of timber, including 70% sourced from Japanese cedar and hinoki, and the remainder from superstrong European red cedar. Engineered to withstand earthquakes, the ring was assembled using Nuki joints, a traditional Japanese joinery method requiring no nails or screws, allowing the timber to be dismantled and reassembled with minimal damage.
- To learn more about the Grand Ring, which in March last year was awarded as the world record as the world’s largest wooden architectural structure by the Gusiness Book of Records, click here for Wood Central’s special feature. And to learn why engineers are now developing new shock absorbers that will help buildings bounce back faster from quakes, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
