May 2026 News World’s Fair, Recognized Worldwide: NUSSLI Expo Pavilions Win International Accolades
Expo 2025 in Osaka is now history—but its structures live on. NUSSLI built five national pavilions for the World’s Fair, and the international design, architecture, and event industries have spoken: the awards range from gold to the Grand Prix. In 2026, the major festivals of the creative industry will bring yet another wave of prestigious awards. A look back at an exceptionally successful chapter—and a thank you to the entire project team that made these pavilions possible.
Uzbekistan – “Garden of Knowledge”: The Big Winner
No pavilion has won more awards than the Uzbek one. The modular, fully reusable wooden structure impressed juries around the globe: Gold at the German Design Award, “Best of the Best” at the Red Dot Award, “Best of Best” at the Architecture Masterprize, plus awards at the FRAME Awards, the Comm Awards, the DDC Award, and many more. In 2026, the series continued—with two Gold awards at the ADC Festival, wins at the iF Design Awards and a jury winner at the Architizer A+ Award. The ADC jury sums it up: The pavilion showcases cultural heritage, change, and future prospects through an experience concept that is as fascinating as it is holistic, setting new standards.
Kuwait – “The Visionary Lighthouse”: From Osaka to Montreux
The Kuwait Pavilion also won awards on several continents. Spanning 2,450 m² of exhibition space, it combines modern architecture with traditional Kuwaiti elements—and has been honored with, among other accolades, the BIG SEE Architecture Award, several awards from EXHIBITOR Magazine’s Expo Awards, and no fewer than six prizes from the MUSE Creative Awards, including Platinum for the exhibition experience. In 2026, it went on to win Gold at the Golden Award of Montreux, Gold at the Heavent Awards in Cannes, and Silver at the BrandEx Award, Victories at the iF Design Awards as well as a bronze medal and an Honorable Mention at the ADC Festival.
Switzerland – “From Heidi to High Tech”: Lightness as a Way of Life
The Swiss Pavilion, which NUSSLI built as the general contractor on behalf of Präsenz Schweiz, set an example of sustainability with its claim to be the “lightest pavilion” at the Expo. The five spherical structures won a bronze medal at the EXHIBITOR Expo Award (Best Sustainable Pavilion), were named the winner in the Best Small Pavilion category, received a bronze medal at the BIE Awards, and in 2026 were honored with the German Design Award, an iF Design Award, and a silver medal at the ADC Festival Award-winning. The ADC jury praised the bold design, which reimagines lightness as a way to reduce the environmental footprint—sustainability as a built reality.
Austria – “Sounds of Austria”: Music in Architectural Form
The Austrian Pavilion, with its striking spiral sculpture, combined Austrian innovation with an audiovisual journey of discovery. It received awards including silver and bronze at the World Expolympics Awards, bronze at the BIE Awards, silver at the FRAME Awards, and a special prize at the Lower Austria Wood Construction Award. In 2026, the BrandEx Award as well as three Bronze Awards at the ADC Festival in addition.
Brazil – “Living Laboratory”: the living lab
NUSSLI was responsible for the complete interior design of the Brazilian Pavilion, based on a concept by director Bia Lessa. The structure, designed as a living laboratory—featuring inflatable installations and recycled materials—was awarded a silver medal in the Theme Development category at the BIE Awards.
Four BIE Awards and a strong message
At the BIE Awards alone—presented by the Bureau International des Expositions—there were Four pavilions built by NUSSLI receive awards. The range of entries—from architecture to exhibition design to events—showcases what temporary architecture can achieve: structures that stand for just a few months yet leave a lasting impression. We would like to thank all our partners and the entire project team, who supported these pavilions from the initial concept through to their sustainable dismantling.