Ever since the first modern exposition was held in London in 1851, world fairs have allowed countries to showcase their achievements, cultures, and technologies, oftentimes with surprising long-lasting results.
Canadians do not need to be told this. Many of us remember Montreal’s EXPO 86, aka Man and his World. It featured an innovative monorail travelling through Buckminster Fuller’s massive geodesic dome and Moishe Safdie’s Habitat 67 with its stacked prefabricated concrete modules creating gardens in the sky. Now, sixty years later, modular housing is back in the news as a potential way to dramatically increase the amount of housing that needs to be built every year.
Most Vancouverites still have vivid memories of EXPO 86. Although it was not a formally designated Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) World Exposition, it celebrated Vancouver’s Centennial by inviting the world. And the world came. More than 22 million attended with a single-day record of 341,806 visitors.
EXPO 86 gave us Canada Place, BC Place Stadium, SkyTrain, and established Vancouver as a global destination. Prior to EXPO, Metro Vancouver’s annual population increase was approximately 1.5%. Following EXPO, it doubled to 3.0%. EXPO 86 changed Vancouver forever. Whether it was for better or worse depends on who you talk to.
EXPO 67 and 86 are not the only world fairs that left a legacy. The elevator was first introduced at the 1853 World’s Fair in New York. Electric streetlighting became popular following Melbourne’s 1880 Exposition.
At the Paris Expo in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was unveiled to the world. While some Parisians hoped it would be dismantled after the fair, fortunately they did not get their way.
Other exposition firsts included the Ferris Wheel displayed at the 1893 Chicago World Fair; the ice cream cone made popular at the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis; and television broadcasting, first seen at the 1939 World Fair in New York.
In addition to EXPO 67 and 86, I have been fortunate to visit EXPOs in Lisbon, Shanghai, Yeosu Korea, and Dubai. One reason I like to attend them is because they offer glimpses of the future. This week I am at EXPO 2025 in Osaka Japan which began on April 13th. Here the future is truly on display.
This is not Osaka’s first World Exposition. Some Vancouver Sun readers will recall EXPO 1970 was also held in Osaka. It attracted over 64 million people which was the largest attendance at any world fair until EXPO 2020 in Dubai.
EXPO 2025 occupies a 155-hectare (383 acres) site on a new man-made island, connected to the city by a subway line extension.
Every world fair has a theme, and this one is "Designing Future Society for Our Lives".
There are three sub-themes: "Saving Lives," "Empowering Lives," and "Connecting Lives". These sub-themes are intended to address aspects of human well-being, social inclusion, and global interconnectedness.
The most striking feature of the site is an impressive, multi-storey ‘Grand Ring’, approximately 2 km in circumference, constructed out of mass-timber. All national pavilions are located within the ring to symbolise the need for international cooperation. Domestic pavilions are located on the outside.
158 countries and regions, plus 7 international organizations are participating at this EXPO. One notable absentee is Russia.
Over the coming weeks, I will share some highlights of EXPO 2025. Today I would like to invite you into the Canadian Pavilion.
Our pavilion occupies a prime location between Portugal and the United Arab Emirates. Upon first view, its white, geometric forms seem to reinforce the over-used cliché of Canada as the Great White North.
I was fortunate to have a chance encounter with Laurie Peters, Commissioner General for the pavilion who was outside on the plaza during a false fire alarm. She told me the theme is not at all ‘The Great White North’. Rather, it is “Regeneration”.
She noted the theme is also about empowering future generations through innovation and a commitment to a more sustainable and inclusive society.
Visitors will not read about this since there are not any words anywhere in the pavilion. Instead, as one of the designers told me, visitors will enjoy “a poetic, impressionist experience” thanks to augmented reality tablets handed out as each person enters the building.
Canada’s National Day will be on May 17th. It will feature a presentation under the artistic direction of Robert Lepage and Steve Blanchet, where visitors will follow a river’s journey across Canada. More than 100 Canadian performers are expected on stage and in the event spaces.
I suspect most Canadians who visit this pavilion will feel proud of how our country is being presented, which was not the case for many who visited the Canadian pavilion in Dubai.
The creative team also includes ES Global, JKFL Productions, Soleil Launière as First Nations cultural advisor, Rayside Labossière architects, and architect Guillaume Pelletier.
Unlike Habitat 67 which was designed to last forever, this pavilion has been designed to be easily dismantled so the building components can be reused, consistent with the theme of sustainability.
EXPO 2025 continues to October 13th, 2025. It is well worth a visit.
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