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Originality and creativity of the idea

In conceiving the Baltic Pavilion, it was essential to understand the aim of the exposition and the position of our region's innovation in the context of Japan and the world. Most national pavilions attempted to surprise the visitors of a Japanese Expo — visitors used to a technological level many years ahead — with technological solutions. The Baltic Pavilion, by contrast, immersed itself in the foundations of Japanese culture and responded to a kind of unique contrast — a busy digital world and a longing for calm. The Baltic Pavilion brought these opposites together in an interactive installation, emphasising both our region's technological development and the presence of nature. At the centre of this interplay are we ourselves — people. The touchscreen of today's digital world was transformed in the Baltic Pavilion into a surprising, intuitive platform made of nature's primary elements — water condensation, upon which a visitor's message gradually faded with time. This peaceful and contrastingly quiet moment was also a foundation of the pavilion's success — more than 900,000 visitors.

Definition of the problem and the relevance of the applied solutions

The concept of the pavilion, connecting nature, humans and technology, was developed in line with the thematic guidelines of Expo 2025 Osaka, where each national pavilion was to fit within one of the thematic sections. The Baltic Pavilion was located in the Saving Lives section.
The principal idea and slogan of the Baltic Pavilion — We Are One — provided a successful foundation for the communication of the countries at both diplomatic and human levels. The pavilion's brief was to highlight the uniqueness of Latvia and Lithuania while at the same time emphasising the two countries as a unified region; this was addressed by foregrounding visual codes understandable and shared by both the Baltic states and Japan. The pavilion concept involves an original and clear idea, an architecturally clean space and convenient use of the pavilion suitable both for events of various kinds and for solitary meditation, so important to Japanese culture.

Co-creation, stakeholder involvement and cooperation during the realisation process

The Baltic Pavilion is a collaborative work realised by more than 100 representatives of the creative industries from Latvia, Lithuania and Japan, in active cooperation with the client, museums and the public at large.
The natural pharmacy exhibit was created in cooperation with the Latvian Museum of Natural History, the Daugavpils Museum of Local History, the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia and private collectors. The part of the exhibit that tells the story of the Baltic states was created by involving the whole public; the audiovisual content was made up of short-format video material produced by Latvians and Lithuanians themselves. Thus the Baltic Pavilion's exhibit became a living, personal message to the world.

Functionality and technological solutions

The Baltic Pavilion was built as a meditative space, visually and emotionally revealing the interplay of nature, humans and technology. Its central element — the interactive, curved, green glass KIZUNA* wall — inspired by technology, generates the natural phenomenon of condensation, transforming the glass surface into an interactive platform that invites Expo visitors to leave their messages.
In summer months in Osaka, air temperatures reached as high as +45 °C, so this cooling technological solution — equivalent to a 2.5 m tall, 10 m wide refrigerator — was especially popular among Expo visitors.
Visitor feedback: "The Baltic Pavilion truly surprised me — in the best sense. The green Kizuna wall was absolutely amazing; I had never seen anything like it. I had great fun drawing on it and even playing games on it together with my child."
*Kizuna (絆) (from Japanese — bond, connection) describes the deep emotional ties between people in family, in circles of friends, in communities or between countries.

Aesthetics and other experiential dimensions

Within the pavilion, the visitor was enveloped by a specially developed Baltic forest fragrance by Madara Cosmetics. A musical setting was also created — an original composition combining nature sounds recorded in the forests of the Baltic states with elements from the scores of the Lithuanian composer M. K. Čiurlionis. Quietly and meditatively, pavilion visitors could become acquainted with the 'natural pharmacy', which featured around 300 plant samples from Baltic meadows. Each exhibit could be examined to observe its differences and to learn each plant's unique qualities. The exhibits were illuminated using a lightbox concept. Each plant sample was carefully obtained from private collectors and museums across Latvia and Lithuania. The oldest specimen, a field bean, dates to 1922. Inside the cube, a flexible space was created, adaptable for conferences, events and daily exhibit use.
Visitor feedback: «I really love the peaceful atmosphere, the light, the scent of nature. It is completely different from the other pavilions. This is a place that truly matches the Japanese spirit.»

Economic significance, sustainability and circularity

The pavilion was visited by more than 900,000 people and received recognition in both Japanese and international design media.

Alongside the Kizuna Wall, every visitor to the Baltic Pavilion could symbolically take part in planting a forest in the Baltic states. Each digitally planted tree corresponds to a real tree planted in the specially established Kizuna forests in Tērvete and Joniškis. The young woodlands in Tērvete and Joniškis are part of the Baltic Pavilion.

The principal interactive element of the pavilion — the KIZUNA Wall — can be regarded as an example of upcycling, the reuse of materials and ideas for a new purpose. This Latvian technology was successfully presented in the United Kingdom in 2018, while at the Baltic Pavilion the technology was further developed — more energy-efficient, more ecological and more sustainable. Considering the amount of carbon sequestered by trees planted through the pavilion's activity in just one month (895 birches, 1,158 pines and 680 spruces), the overall carbon balance is negative: –2,158,668.56 kg CO₂ equivalent.

Social relevance, inclusion, availability and accessibility

Expo 2025 Osaka is the world's most significant exposition for nation branding and for fostering export capacity, addressing not only economic but also socially significant global issues. The principal theme of the Expo is 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives'; the sub-theme represented by the Baltic Pavilion was 'Saving Lives', focused on improving the quality of life.

The setting of the pavilion created a calm atmosphere in which everyone felt accepted and engaged. The principles of accessibility were observed in the activities, regardless of age, gender, race and physical capacity.
Artūrs Analts, artist and designer of the pavilion: «Our pavilion served as a peaceful oasis amid the overwhelming experience of the Expo. The Kizuna Wall offered shelter from the rushing digital world, placing at its centre a human connected to other humans and to nature.»

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