The Architect of Osaka Expo's Grand Ring: Sou Fujimoto Exhibition in Tokyo

Exhibition at Mori Art Museum in Roppongi: The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest

Picture courtesy of KLOOK

Sou Fujimoto, the architect who designed the Great Ring at the Osaka Expo, is one of the most prominent architects in contemporary Japan. His architectural designs, spanning from private residences, schools, commercial facilities, and hotels to complex facilities, are now spreading across the globe.

His first large-scale solo exhibition, The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest, will be held at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, Tokyo, from July 2 to November 9, 2025.

Tickets for The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest

Architect Sou Fujimoto's Work and the Concept of "Forest"

Photo: David Vintiner

Mr. Fujimoto, born in Hokkaido in 1971, became renowned after participating in the design competition for the Aomori Museum of Art in 2000.

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013, London. Photo: Iwan Baan

So far, his works include concepts such as "The Forest of Books," the Musashino Art University Museum and Library, where bookshelves are arranged in a spiral; the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013, constructed with a latticework of white steel beams; the residential complex La Rble Blanc (White Tree), with balconies spreading out like leaves; and the Hungary House of Music, a music complex that incorporates park greenery to blur the boundary between nature and architecture.

The Grand Ring for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan 2025. Photo courtesy: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition

The representative design work announced in recent years is the "Grand Ring" built for the Osaka Expo.

The Grand Ring is made of wood, utilizing traditional construction techniques without nails. It spans approximately 2 kilometers around and stands 12 to 20 meters high, with a skywalk also installed, allowing visitors to stroll and enjoy the expo site and the surrounding beautiful scenery.

The keyword of Sou Fujimoto’s work is "forest."

Growing up in the lush natural environment of Hokkaido, he considers the local groves as his primal landscape. Even in Tokyo, Fujimoto sees elements of forest as "order within chaos" found in the intricate alleyways and complex elements around him.

The "forest" embodies a gentle scale for people, multi-layered sensations, and a fundamental presence, and it is expressed throughout his various architectural works from his early career to the present.

Exhibition Highlights: From Early Projects to the Latest Works

The Forest of Thought (rendering of the installation) © Sou Fujimoto Architects

In this major solo exhibition of Sou Fujimoto, a comprehensive display of his architectural activities from early works to the present will be showcased.

In addition to models, drawings, and photographs of completed projects, a large installation titled "The Forest of Models" will be exhibited, expressing his creative trajectory over more than 40 years as a "forest."

This installation is staged in a vast space, where fragments of models, materials, and ideas arranged chronologically form a scene that resembles a forest.

Exhibition Overview

The exhibition title: The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest
Period: July 2 – November 9, 2025 (Open every day)
Location: Mori Art Museum
Address: 53rd Floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Tuesdays until 5:00 PM, September 23 until 10:00 PM)
*Note: Last admission is 30 minutes before closing each day.

Ticket Prices

- Weekdays:
- General: 2,300 yen (Advance purchase: 2,100 yen)
- High school and university students: 1,400 yen (1,300 yen)
- Elementary and middle school students: Free
- 65 and over: 2,000 yen (1,800 yen)

- Weekends and Holidays:
- General: 2,500 yen (2,300 yen)
- High school and university students: 1,500 yen (1,400 yen)
- Elementary and middle school students: Free
- 65 and over: 2,200 yen (2,000 yen)

*Note: The figures in parentheses are the advance reservation prices available via the official online ticket site.*
*Tickets can also be purchased on the day if available.*
Click here for ticket purchase:

Reserve your tickets for The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest

Picture courtesy of KLOOK