Monaco Pavilion Lighting Design Featured in Arc Magazine
Ideaworks is proud to have led the lighting design concept for the Monaco Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, a project recently featured in arc magazine Issue 149. Built around the theme “Take Care of Wonder”, the pavilion explores the vital connection between nature, human wellbeing, and environmental stewardship.
Working closely with The A Group, Atelier Pierre, Simmetrico, Himawari Design, and the wider Monaco Pavilion team, we developed a lighting concept that enhances the pavilion’s immersive architecture and scenography, using light to guide movement, shape mood, and evoke emotion.
Inside, the lighting supports Simmetrico’s scenography, guiding visitors through a series of experiential “pods” using focused, adaptive illumination. In the cathedral-like central space, animated lighting sequences simulate an underwater environment, reflecting Monaco’s deep connection to the ocean and its commitment to ecological awareness. Curved lighting across the ceiling creates gentle waves of light, echoing the experience of looking up from beneath the sea.
The pavilion’s exterior lighting responds dynamically to changes in daylight, interacting with surrounding natural elements to create a visually transformative presence that blurs the boundary between structure and landscape. Viewed from above, the circular layout references the Japanese flag, with a central metallic focal point illuminated in red and surrounded by soft white light.
Ideaworks’ scope focused primarily on the architectural lighting of the main pavilion and the surrounding landscape, delicately illuminating Mediterranean and Japanese garden elements, including olive trees, roses, bamboo, and other culturally significant flora. The lighting was conceived as a poetic bridge between Monaco and Japan, creating contemplative, immersive outdoor spaces after dark.
In alignment with the pavilion’s environmental values, the final lighting system employs energy-efficient, low-consumption technologies, reinforcing sustainability without compromising visual impact.
The project represents a collaborative creative journey, shaped by local conditions and cultural exchange, and stands as an example of how thoughtful lighting design can deepen narrative, enhance architecture, and create meaningful visitor experiences on a global stage.
Read the full feature in arc Magazine, Issue 149 via the link.
Client: Gouvernement Princier Principauté de Monaco & Visit Monaco for Pavillon Monaco
Architects: Jerome Hein (The A Group / Atelier Pierre / Himawari Design)
Scenography: Simmetrico