Sumitomo Pavilion Beyond Time and Around Again
Hello from the Sumitomo Pavilion!
Ever since deciding to exhibit at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, we’ve been exploring ways on how our pavilion could coexist with forests and trees.
This eventually brought us to the concept, " Sumitomo Pavilion beyond time and around again."
1.Utilizing the Trees from the Sumitomo Forest
Our first idea was to use the trees in the forests owned by the Sumitomo Group for the construction of the pavilion.
Cutting down grown trees promotes regeneration of trees and contributes to preserving the health of the forest.
What’s more, some of the trees ready for cutting are those planted in 1970, the year the Sumitomo Group exhibited at the Osaka Expo.
The two Osaka Expos are connected through these trees.
We want to create a pavilion that can only be created by Sumitomo and this cycle of circulation.
2.Making the Most of Precious Timber
Next, we focused on using the timber without waste.
Our focus on "facing each life" led us to a method of "peeling the logs" similar to peeling vegetable skin.
We minimize waste by thinly peeling logs and processing them into plywood.
The cores left after peeling will be repurposed into items like benches.
3.Completing the Cycle with Reforestation Experiences
To circulate the forest with human hands, we need to "cut" → "process" → "use" → "plant & grow."
The Sumitomo Pavilion will plant new seedlings for every tree cut for construction.
A part of this reforestation work, we will be introducing a "reforestation experience" at the pavilion and welcoming visitors to join.
The seedlings that find its way to the visitors by chance will eventually grow into a rich forest; and decades and centuries later, it will be passed on to the future, transcending time.
The Sumitomo Pavilion is open for 184 days.
Here, we will also connect with Sumitomo's 400+ year history, its past, and future forests.
We hope to create a pavilion that circulates through time while imagining a future that begins with the forest.
This is our vision of the Sumitomo Pavilion.
