UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka | WOO architects

The United Kingdom today unveiled its Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka - a bold, story-led experience that redefines how nations present themselves on the world stage. Commissioned by the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, the Pavilion runs from 13 April to 13 October 2025, offering a six-month journey into British creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

This marks the UK’s first fully narrative-driven World Expo showcase - an emotive, immersive experience designed to leave visitors inspired and uplifted.

The Pavilion experience was conceptualised and realised by Immersive International, the experiential masterplanning studio behind its ambitious creative vision. The experience creates an environment that is never static - a story-first approach brought to life through a blend of projection-mapped environments, responsive lighting, layered spatial audio, and interactive gamification. The studio’s use of innovative technologies has been carefully orchestrated to produce an emotional connection and the feeling of being in the UK's living, breathing network of ideas.

Visitors embark on “Come Build the Future” - a 20-minute immersive journey where they are active participants, showing how the UK works in partnership across cultures to shape what’s next. It’s about co-creation, not just presentation. By merging physical and digital worlds, the Pavilion invites guests to feel, think, and play their way through a message of collaboration and creative action.

John Munro, CEO of Immersive International and Principal Designer, said: “This Pavilion is really a snapshot of how we approach experiential masterplanning. We have built an experience that speaks to people on an emotional level - one that lingers long after they leave. Our approach at Immersive has always been about storytelling first. Technology is the amplifier. It’s what turns ideas into encounters, and space into memory. The Pavilion is a place where visitors don't just learn about British innovation - they feel it. They see themselves in it. We always try to make places that feel alive - places that people want to come back to because they feel part of something bigger, and a space they can connect in.”

At the heart of the experience is the journey of Kenji, a Japanese father, and his daughter Mei, who stumble upon PIX - a playful, shape-shifting character who guides them through imaginative scenes showcasing the UK’s creativity and innovation. Their adventure mirrors the Pavilion’s central message: that creativity and collaboration can transform small sparks into world-changing ideas. 

Inspired by the Pavilion’s own pixelated architectural form, PIX is both a character and a metaphor. His ability to morph into familiar forms and iconic British objects - while connecting with guests across languages and generations - makes him the emotional thread that ties the Pavilion together. Designed especially to resonate with children and families, PIX invites visitors to become co-authors in the UK’s creative journey.

Tommy Lexen, Managing Director at Immersive International and Project Director, said: “PIX symbolises the UK’s spirit of imagination and transformation. He’s a playful building block - both literal and figurative - showing how individuals, like pixels, can come together to create something far greater. He speaks to our belief that powerful ideas often start small, and that creative energy is a shared force. Whether you're five or eighty-five, PIX reminds you that you too can shape the future.