OBAYASHI MORI SORA MIRAI

Obayashi Corporation is exhibiting OBAYASHI MORI SORA MIRAI in the Urban GX Village at GREEN×EXPO 2027. Its theme is “Embrace Nature, Embrace Happiness” (in Japanese, “Shizen de kokochi yoi shiawase ga tsuzuku”). The pavilion name was announced on March 19, 2026.

Highlights and exhibits

Visitors step into two countries: Mori no Kuni (the Country of the Forest), an ideal city living in harmony with nature, and Sora no Kuni (the Country of the Universe), a world where daily life flows in rhythm with the universe. There they experience the future of making things and are invited to shape their own ideal future.

• According to a project-team interview (January 2026), the pavilion will offer hands-on content as well as displays and video, with Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) as a main target audience.
• The word “shizen de” in the theme also means “without having to put up with hardship”: a future where neither people nor nature has to compromise. The exhibit concept is “New Sustainable Life with MAKE BEYOND.”
• Staff uniforms, announced in September 2026, follow the concept “Mirai Attendants,” guiding visitors through the pavilion as if it were a large vehicle. The orange accent comes from the work clothes Obayashi staff wear on construction sites.
• Night-time lighting of the stump-shaped buildings is also planned.

Building and design

• The design is based on the top (“Platinum”) entry in an in-house competition held in February 2025 (about 70 participants, about 40 entries), aiming to open construction sites to society and make the building itself the exhibit.
• Several cylindrical buildings form a “tree stump,” representing Obayashi as an “Explorer” pioneering the future.
• Because the building is used for only about six months, it relies as much as possible on leased temporary materials: “Albatross” scaffolding supports the exterior, while shoring materials (yamadome) and Albatross beam frames form the structure.
• The exterior uses wood-based “Lamina panels” sized to construction-site temporary fencing (2 or 3 m tall, 50 cm wide), to be converted into fencing after the Expo. The foundation uses Obayashi’s low-carbon concrete “CleanCrete.”
• Construction began in February 2026, exterior panels went up from July, and completion is planned for February 2027.
• Outdoors, the “Comfy TOUCH” bench cools or warms through panels carrying chilled or heated water, and “Saratto Mist,” a fine mist that does not feel wet and lowers the surrounding air by 2–3 °C, is built into “The brænch,” a structure made with Obayashi’s metal 3D printer. The “in-DUCT” air-induction unit is planned for the exhibition rooms.

About the exhibitor

Obayashi is a general contractor with the brand vision “MAKE BEYOND.” Its long-term “Obayashi Sustainability Vision 2050” defines the goal of sustainability for the planet, society, and people. According to the project team, Obayashi built the “Obayashi Tower” observation tower at the Fifth National Industrial Exposition in Osaka in 1903, and calls this pavilion its second such challenge, more than 120 years later.

Announcements so far

• December 2024: Obayashi expressed its intention to exhibit (per a project-team interview)
• March 19, 2025: Selection as a Village exhibitor announced
• October 29, 2025: Official site launched; exhibit outline published at the Association’s 500-days-to-go announcement
• January 21, 2026: Backstage interview Episode 01 published
• February 2026: Construction began; featured in the Association’s “Village exhibitor” social media series
• March 19, 2026: Pavilion name announced; attendant recruitment opened (now closed)
• April 15, 2026: Backstage Episode 02 on the stump-shaped structure published
• July 31, 2026: Construction report — the building’s form begins to take shape
• September 15, 2026: Uniform design announced
• September 28, 2026: Expo posters displayed at 30 Obayashi construction sites across Japan

Social media

In February 2026, the Association’s official social media posted a video in which two young Obayashi employees introduce the pavilion. The official site offers a teaser video and project-team interview videos. On X, several posts share photos of the cylindrical buildings under construction (as of October 2026).

Before you go

• Location: Urban GX Village, marked “D” on the Association’s venue map.
• Reservations: Whether the pavilion will use the Association’s same-day viewing reservations has not been announced (as of October 2026).
• Duration, fees, accessibility: Not yet announced.
• Heat relief: Outdoor cooling features such as the Comfy TOUCH bench and dry mist are planned.

Sources (all checked 2026-10-04): Expo Association: Village exhibits / OBAYASHI MORI SORA MIRAI official site / Construction report / Uniform design / Backstage Episode 01 / Backstage Episode 02 / Obayashi news, March 19, 2025 (Japanese) / Obayashi news, September 28, 2026 (Japanese) / Obayashi news on in-DUCT, January 7, 2026 (Japanese) / Association FAQ

Note: Exhibit details and highlights will be updated as official announcements are made.