The honour adds to the Pavilion’s growing list of global accolades, recognising a design that transformed heritage and innovation into a compelling architectural experience

Abu Dhabi/Osaka, December 08, 2025: The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka has been awarded the Silver Award at the DFA Design for Asia Awards 2025. Organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre, the programme celebrates outstanding design across Asia, honouring projects that carry cultural meaning, creative intent and a clear contribution to society. The recognition reflects the international esteem the Pavilion’s architectural vision continues to command.

Designed by the Earth to Ether Design Collective, the UAE Pavilion brought architecture, craft and narrative together with purpose throughout its six-month presence at Expo. Inspired by the date palm tree, the Pavilion’s ninety rachis columns rose up to sixteen metres, creating a shaded canopy that reflected the calm and welcome of an oasis. This spatial language gave form to the Pavilion’s theme, Earth to Ether, expressing the UAE’s journey from deep-rooted heritage to the future-focused innovations that shape collective progress.

The Pavilion’s design brought Emirati vernacular architecture into dialogue with Japanese craftsmanship. Traditional areesh techniques were reinterpreted through precise Japanese woodworking, creating a language of form that felt both familiar and new. This collaboration extended to the Pavilion’s outdoor elements, where trees from Japan’s Satoyama landscapes met the textures and tones of the UAE’s environment. UAE material innovation further shaped the Pavilion, with Datecrete and Dateform developed from date seeds and palm frond waste, reinforcing a design philosophy grounded in renewal, responsibility, and the beauty of reimagined resources.