World Expo 2025: Host plans largest wooden canopy, other attractions at Osaka's man-made island

Osaka (Japan): Ancient construction techniques will be combined with modern design to create one of the world’s largest wooden structures on a Japanese island preparing to host the next World Expo, reports say. The news broke after the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition announced that preliminary work on Yumeshima, a man-made island in the southern Osaka Bay area, had begun. “We are doing construction work,” an association representative told media. The enormous timber canopy will serve as both Expo 2025 Osaka’s emblem and primary staging area. The great ring roof covered in flowers and greenery, forming an aerial corridor, is expected to give people bird’s eye view of the site below. The torch was passed to Osaka after Dubai’s successful hosting of Expo 2020 came to an end in March of this year. This will be Japan’s third such event, following the 1970 World Expo in Osaka. The representative in an statement given to state media said: “Preparation is underway at the pavilion construction site, including the installation of water supply and sewerage, electricity, and communication pipes.” The plots for countries that will build self-built pavilions after April 13, 2023 are being prepared for handover, he added. The expo, themed “Designing the Future Society of Our Lives,” will take place from April to October 2025.

Millions of visitors will be able to walk on a two-kilometer roof that will be built using traditional Japanese techniques used in ancient temples to join wooden beams and pillars. The five-story structure will also serve as a massive sunshade, shielding people from the sun, rain, and wind. Organizers’ design information shows a gently sloping roof soaring from 12m to 20m high with observation spots overlooking the sea. Reports claim, a central principle of “one sky” is at the heart of the design. A portion of the sea will be drawn in as well to form a water crescent that will serve as a zone for waterfront activities. A tranquillity forest, or a quiet space filled with trees, will be among the other attractions to allow visitors to escape the crowds expected at the Expo. The BIE’s secretary general, Dimitri S Kerkentzes, was pleased with the momentum for the mega event, reports say. “With its theme requiring us to meet the challenge of designing future societies, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai is a springboard for achieving and going beyond the sustainable development goals,” he said at an October global planning meeting in Osaka. Koji Haneda, commissioner general of Expo 2025 Osaka, told state media that he was looking forward to welcoming a stronger community that had weathered the pandemic. “We must look beyond the post Covid-19 world, and envision a resilient and sustainable society for the future,” he said. “I am confident Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai will provide an excellent opportunity for the global community to experiment and demonstrate a desirable way of life in the future,” he added. Another design to keep an eye out for is the Totality of Life project, state media reported. To get people thinking about protecting life and rediscovering the universe, a space station, an underwater vessel, and a large tree will be built, revealed the association representative. Osaka organisers anticipate more than 28 million visitors, with 150 countries and 25 international groups taking part. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .