Netherlands Pavilion at World Expo 2025

An immersive four-part experience that chronicles the Netherlands’ evolving relationship with water – from battling it to embracing it as a catalyst for sustainability

At Expo 2025 in Osaka, countries from around the world present their visions for a better future for people and the planet. Tellart joined forces with RAU Architects, DGMR, and Asanuma to craft a winning proposal that seamlessly blends architecture, experience design, and engineering. Commissioned by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Tellart was responsible for designing the visitor experience of the Netherlands Pavilion — a showcase of Dutch innovation, collaboration, and resilience.

Shaped by Water, Driven by Collaboration

The Netherlands Pavilion invites global audiences to explore how living below sea level has shaped a uniquely Dutch mindset: one rooted in common ground, long-term thinking and a deep respect for the forces of nature. This relationship with water, once adversarial, has evolved into a forward-looking partnership that embraces water as an ally in clean energy, climate adaptation, and sustainable living. 

Following our ‘design through discovery’ Tellart’s Story and Form team crafted the ‘common ground’ narrative, balancing all stakeholder interests into a singular, poetic vision to guide the creative process.

The experience unfolds across four distinct phases within a 1,157 m² space, with the narrative progressing as visitors advance through their journey.

An Intelligent Companion for Exploration

At the heart of the Pavilion is the Orb, a glowing sphere that responds to movement and proximity, guiding each visitor through a personalised, multi-part journey. As visitors move through the space, their Orb activates installations that bring stories to life, turning passive observation into an active and tactile exploration of how water shapes the Netherlands.

Synchronising Sound Into Fluid Form

The Water Basin installation transforms invisible sound frequencies into visible, fluid motion. Powered by four embedded bass shakers, the Basin uses audio sub frequencies to ripple water into synchronised cymatic patterns. It is an abstract but tangible expression of the Dutch concept of common ground, where coordination and cooperation give rise to balance. 

Touch-Activated Timelines of Water

The Water Walls are a series of large-scale digital panels that respond to Orb interactions. Each wall reveals a chapter of the Netherlands’ water story from centuries of land reclamation and flood defense to innovations in floating infrastructure and water reuse. Through gesture-responsive visuals and kinetic animations, visitors are invited to trace the country’s evolving mindset: from resisting water, to living with it, to partnering with it.

A 360° AI Cinematic Experience

The Pavilion’s dome becomes the canvas for A New Dawn – a 360° AI-generated film. The film traces the evolving partnership between the Dutch and water from centuries of struggle to today’s innovations that harness water as a source of clean energy and a driver of sustainable, eco-conscious living. Created using a custom production pipeline that integrates AI-generated visuals with spherical projection mapping, the cinematic experience is one of the first of its kind.

Interactive Displays Highlighting Dutch Innovations

The Innovation Tracks feature interactive panels that highlight cutting-edge Dutch technologies developed in partnership with water. Activated by the Orb, these exhibits showcase breakthroughs in tidal energy, aquathermal heating, hydrogen mobility and more, offering a hands-on view of how the Netherlands is exporting sustainable solutions to the world.

A Generative Pledge for the Future

The experience culminates at the Pledge Station, where visitors step into a marked circle beneath the Promise Mirror. Motion sensors and light mapping detect collective presence, triggering a generative visual reflected in the mirror above. As Orbs pulse in sync, a shared artwork emerges. It is a powerful technological metaphor for collective action and a call to shape a regenerative future, together.

Technology as a Catalyst for Reflection

Through the fusion of emerging technology and human-centered design, Tellart’s experience doesn’t just showcase Dutch ingenuity, it invites visitors to reflect, participate and imagine new ways of living in harmony with the Netherlands’ most vital resource: water.