Coldefy & CRA explore relationship between nature & technology

Tenderstream member Coldefy and Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) have unveiled their design for the French Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025, titled ‘Theatrum Naturae’, or 'Theatre of Nature'. The project aims to demonstrate France’s contribution to culture and the natural environment in the 21st century, while illustrating how design can bridge the gap between human and non-human worlds on our planet.

The project is designed to explore the overarching theme of the expo, 'Empowering Life'. Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA and recently-appointed curator of the Biennale Architettura 2025, explains: “As we attempt to address the changing role of expos today in the context of the climate crisis, we must seek new ways to imagine the relationship between the natural and artificial. By combining different forms of intelligence, whether organic or technological, we can redefine connections between people and nature.”

A single pathway winds through the Pavilion, creating an experience divided into what could be considered three acts: Ascent, Discovery of Nature, and Return to the Ground. A staircase winds upwards to form an observation balcony, leading to a curtain threshold connected to a loop that encompasses the interior space of the building. The journey culminates on the Pavilion's rooftop, featuring a landscaped garden through which visitors take a journey through the different environs of France, from the mountains to the coast. 

Thomas Coldefy, Coldefy founding partner, states: “The French Pavilion invites visitors to enter the theater of life. Both actors and spectators in this production, visitors traverse a path through the Pavilion that stages the essential symbiosis between humanity's technological and natural environments, ultimately urging them to become aware of the vital necessity of our connection to nature."

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

Start your free trial here or email our team directly at customerservices@tenderstream.com

Explore the Tenderstream archive here