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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Shigeru Ban’s Blue Ocean Dome at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai was not a single cardboard-and-bamboo building. It combined three separate domes: one made with laminated bamboo, a larger one using a carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) gridshell, and one framed with structural paper tubes. The Expo ran from April 13 to October 13, 2025, and has ended.
What were Shigeru Ban’s Expo domes made of?
The Blue Ocean Dome brought together three structural systems with different materials and spans. Shigeru Ban Architects led its design and supervision, Arup handled structural and related engineering, and Daiwa House Industry constructed the pavilion. The firms’ project descriptions identify the systems as laminated bamboo, CFRP pipes and paper tubes—not a uniform combination of bamboo and cardboard.
| Dome | Diameter | Structure and materials | Project detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 19 metres, according to Shigeru Ban Architects | Laminated bamboo elements | Bamboo sourced in Kochi Prefecture was processed into layered panels and formed into the dome. |
| B | 42 metres, according to Shigeru Ban Architects | Two-layer CFRP pipe gridshell | The largest dome; its lightweight system addressed constraints at the Expo site. |
| C | 19 metres, according to Shigeru Ban Architects | Structural paper tubes in a three-dimensional truss | Arup describes the tubes as 100% recycled paper and the joints as cross-laminated timber. |
Daiwa House Group reported a total pavilion floor area of 2,234.62 m² and a height of 15 metres. These are project figures, not dimensions for any one dome.
Was the Blue Ocean Dome really made of cardboard?
“Cardboard” is an imprecise shorthand. The construction descriptions specify structural paper tubes, including recycled paper tubes, rather than corrugated cardboard sheets. Dome C used those tubes in a three-dimensional truss, with 300-millimetre laminated-Japanese-cedar ball joints, which Arup identifies as cross-laminated timber. The architects list two paper-tube sizes but do not give their dimensions in the project description.
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How did each dome’s structure work?
Dome A: laminated bamboo
The architects describe bamboo from Kochi Prefecture split into narrow strips, steam-treated, bonded and compressed into 8-millimetre panels. Those panels were bent and layered six times to make 48-millimetre elements for the 19-metre dome.
The architects note bamboo can be harvested within three to four years, but also warn that abandoned bamboo forests cause environmental damage. Rapid growth alone does not establish that a particular bamboo product or structure is sustainable.
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Dome B: CFRP gridshell
The 42-metre dome used two layers of CFRP pipes arranged at right angles. Shigeru Ban Architects describe the pipes as 100 millimetres in diameter and 5.6 millimetres thick, joined with cable ties. Daiwa House calls Dome B the world’s first building to use CFRP as its main structure; that is the company’s priority claim.
Arup says reclaimed ground, settlement concerns, limits on excavation and low bearing capacity made a lightweight structural system important. It reports a site bearing-capacity test result of 50 kN/m² and says deep piled foundations were avoided. This describes the conditions and engineering approach reported for the Expo site, not a general rule for other projects.
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Dome C: paper-tube truss
The 19-metre dome used paper tubes assembled as a three-dimensional truss. Arup says the tubes were made from 100% recycled paper. Its account identifies the joints as cross-laminated timber; the architects describe 300-millimetre laminated-Japanese-cedar ball joints.
Why use three different systems?
The domes had different structural characteristics and foundations. Arup says they were made independent with moving joints. The engineering account also says the pavilion was designed for deconstruction and relocation, making the ability to take the structure apart part of the project strategy.
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The materials should not be treated as a proven environmental ranking. The sources describe material choices and design intent, but provide no comparable full lifecycle assessments, costs or quantified carbon footprint. Nor do they establish that all materials were fully recyclable in practice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What was the pavilion intended to do?
ZERI Japan, the exhibitor, presented the pavilion under the theme “Reviving the Ocean.” It said the project aimed to prevent plastic marine pollution, develop sustainable marine industries and promote understanding of ocean climate change. ZERI also framed the temporary Expo building and its material choices as an argument for lighter construction, dismantling, relocation and reuse.
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On the pavilion website, Shigeru Ban, identified as Pavilion Architectural Producer, said: “By using three materials that are strong, light and highly recyclable–paper, bamboo, and CFRP [Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers]–we have reduced the building’s weight and constructed it without driving a single pile.” The statement reflects Ban’s description of the project; it is not an independent lifecycle assessment.
Was the Blue Ocean Dome reused after Expo 2025?
The architects stated that Dome C would be reused as a facility for a resort hotel being developed abroad. The available project accounts describe that as a plan, not a confirmed completed relocation. They do not establish the destination or relocation date.
Ban’s pavilion-site statement also said: “The pavilion significantly minimizes construction waste and can be easily dismantled, relocated, and reused.” Arup’s description supports that deconstruction and relocation were design intentions, but the sources cited here do not verify the pavilion’s actual post-Expo fate.
Quick Recap
Project sources
- Shigeru Ban Architects: Blue Ocean Dome — dimensions, materials, processing and stated reuse plan.
- Arup: Structural Engineering Year in Review 2025 — structural rationale, site conditions, tests and relocation design.
- ZERI Japan: Blue Ocean Dome pavilion website — exhibitor purpose, Ban’s attributed statements and Expo schedule.
- Daiwa House Group: Expo project page — project roles, scale, material assignments and its CFRP priority claim.
- Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition: Expo overview — event dates.
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