LIGHTING THE WAY

TAPPED BY CARTIER TO REVIVE ITS WOMEN'S PAVILION FOR EXPO 2025 IN OSAKA, JAPAN, ARCHITECT YUKO NAGAYAMA CHAMPIONS FLEXIBLE ARCHITECTURE ON A GLOBAL STAGE

- TEXT BY SAM COCHRAN

During Expo 2020 in Dubai, Cartier debuted its Women's Pavilion concept: a space dedicated to foregrounding the vital role of women in society today. Over six months, more than 340,000 visitors and 50 million viewers participated in programming that spanned 120-plus talks and panels. Elsewhere on the world exhibition's sprawling campus, Tokyo-based architect Yuko Nagayama was making a powerful statement of her own, drawing ties between Japanese and Arabic vernaculars in her design for the Japan Pavilion. Fast-forward to today, she and the French luxury jewelry and watch brand have joined forces at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, to amplify Cartier's celebration of female empowerment-all the while issuing a clarion call for sustainability.