The first containers with the wooden structure of the Czech national pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka ceremoniously left Zveřovice in Novojičínsko in the Moravian-Silesian region. These are the supporting columns of the pavilion, which will be installed in the restaurant on the ground floor of the building. The first loading was ceremoniously christened by the general commissioner of the Czech participation, Ondřej Soška, together with representatives of the Czech company A2Timber, which is responsible for the supply of wood to the general contractor of the construction, the Japanese construction company Daisue.
“I am very happy that the first shipment of wooden structures is leaving for Japan exactly according to our internal schedule and that we will build the national pavilion with mainly Czech materials. The path to obtaining a building permit and selecting a general construction contractor was not at all easy – we had to provide the Japanese authorities with strength tests and other additional information confirming the declared strength of the wooden panels and key connecting elements. In the end, however, we managed to successfully overcome all the obstacles and convince the local authorities that the building is strong enough to withstand possible earthquakes or strong typhoons,” says Ondřej Soška, general commissioner of the Czech participation in EXPO 2025, adding: “We are aware that our the pavilion is innovative in many aspects, but I am even more pleased to announce that it will be the first wooden structure of its kind without a metal structure in Japan. In addition, it resonated so much there that it stirred up a public discussion about CLT wooden buildings and their legal regulation.”
The first seven of the total number of roughly 50 containers are now leaving the Czech Republic, the final number will depend on the capacities of the transport companies and other factors, such as the different sizes of individual pallets and loading options. Other parts of the pavilion will travel to Japan in the coming weeks. From the Czech Republic, the containers are headed to the largest German port in Hamburg, from where they will sail to Osaka, Japan, in approximately 8-10 weeks. All wooden parts of the pavilion are made from spruce wood in three production plants in the Czech Republic, they will be completed in Yumeshima, Japan.
“I see the Czech pavilion, the first part of which is now heading to Japan, as a symbol of our modernization journey, openness to the world and sustainability, expressed in a combination of modern technologies with domestic tradition, i.e. the classic building material, which is wood. Houses made of wood have a number of advantages, they use local material, their construction is faster and is up to five times less energy-intensive than a brick building. In addition, trees bind carbon, which is bound by trees, then remains stored in building wood and does not get into the atmosphere, which is what we need. That’s why we want to support wood more, not only as a material for family houses, but also for larger, multi-storey buildings, as shown by the Czech national pavilion for EXPO 2025,” says Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL).
And how is the supporting wooden structure of the pavilion produced? The extracted log goes through the sawmill, where the slats are prepared, from there it goes to the processing plant for BSH (glued laminated timber) or CLT (cross-laminated solid wood), or for Novatop elements (ribbed panels, three-layer solid boards). The parts that are not ready from the factory to be installed directly on the construction site go to the timber hall of the A2Timber company, where they are further processed, the steel elements are riveted, and any painting and other operations necessary before packaging and shipping to the construction site are carried out. If necessary, part of the structure is also assembled in the hall and then dismantled. This process assembly and subsequent disassembly will be carried out, for example, with the complex roof structure of the Czech national pavilion for EXPO 2025, to ensure that everything will fit on the construction site and can be assembled without major problems.
“The Czech National Pavilion project is unique in a number of ways. This is a very unconventional building, which will be located in the challenging environment of an artificial island by the sea, with high wind and potentially seismic loads. However, it is excellent to see from the project that timber construction from CLT and glued beams has almost no limits, even though challenges exist at all levels of the design, production and implementation process of the building,” explains A2Timber CEO Martin Novák and adds: “The supply for the Czech National Pavilion is at the same time a great reference order for us. We believe that the project will bring us further opportunities in Asia, we are discussing various possibilities with the Japanese company Daisue.”
Ondřej Soška, Commissioner General of the Czech participation in the EXPO 2025 world exhibition, signed the contract for the Czech national pavilion with the general construction contractor, the Japanese construction company Daisue (its CEO Kazunori Murao) on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, construction was formally started , when a ceremony to pacify the earth’s deities, or Jichinsai, took place on Czech land on the island of Yumeshima.
Czechs are generally among the biggest drivers of preparations for the upcoming world exhibition. They act actively, for example, towards the organizers and participate in the coordination of European activities. In June, roughly thirty general commissioners and representatives of European states organized a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague. The June election of General Commissioner Soška to the so-called Steering Committee, the governing body of the world exhibition, is also proof.
About the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2025
In December 2022, after more than twenty years, the Office of the Commissioner General announced an open anonymous architectural competition for the design of the national pavilion for EXPO 2025. 38 competition teams applied for it, from which an expert jury led by the world-renowned architect Eva Jiřična selected the winning design in March 2023 in the shape of a glass spiral by Apropos Architects. The load-bearing structure of the building will be made up of modern wooden panels, while the facade will be made of art glass, which has a centuries-old tradition in the Czech Republic. The national pavilion will offer a worthy background for the Czech participation in EXPO 2025, which will be held from April to October 2025 on the artificial island of Yumeshima in the Osaka Bay. The pavilion will have a permanent exhibition, a multifunctional auditorium, facilities for business meetings, a restaurant, a VIP lounge, and in front of the pavilion there will be a relaxation area with a view of the sea for visitors.
About Czech participation in EXPO 2025
The Czech Republic will participate as an independent state in the World Exhibition EXPO for the sixth time. Ondřej Soška, who won the selection procedure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with his concept and theme “Talent and creativity for life”, holds the position of general commissioner from September 2022. The Czech Republic should be presented in Osaka not only with what the Japanese know very well and admire for a long time, for example Czech glass and classical music, but especially with Czech innovations, nanotechnologies, promising startups and regional talent.
You can find more information on the website of the Czech participation in the world exhibition EXPO 2025. You can also follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.