Part one of series on innovations in contemporary Japanese architecture

Pavilions built for international fairs are unique structures able to materialize the fantasy of other worlds within the immediate realm of the visitors. Typically designed to represent the aesthetics and architectural character of foreign nations, these pavilions attain international meanings outside of their respective countries and respond to different regional contexts. This talk examines the evolution of this unique trans-national building type over the course of more than 150 years through three pavilions that link Japan with the West: British architect/designer Thomas Jeckyll’s Japanese-inspired pavilion designed for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the 1954-55 Japanese Exhibition House designed by Junzō Yoshimura for the Museum of Modern Art in New York that was later moved to Philadelphia, and the 2002 Serpentine Pavilion built in London by Japanese architect Toyo Ito.