The Portuguese brand has created furniture pieces designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma for the Portugal Pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, which will take place from April 13 to October 13, 2025.
Antarte has the privilege of being part of a project with Kengo Kuma, the renowned Japanese architect who designed the Portugal Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo... but that's not all. The entire interior, as well as the furniture, also bears Kengo Kuma's design signature: from sofas to the VIP lounge, including the restaurant and the multifunctional room.
The Portuguese brand has brought to life more than 40 pieces of furniture, such as benches, high stools, and tables for the restaurant and café, as well as sofas and the table where the Guest Book will be placed in the VIP lounge. The brand carefully selected materials and production techniques that honor the ancestral craftsmanship of Portuguese woodworking.
The table for placing the Guest Book at the Portugal Pavilion is an extraordinary sculpture. It is made up of 177 pieces of national ash wood, with varying diameters and lengths, all manually turned over more than 200 hours of craftsmanship. The table weighs approximately 100 kilograms. For the table tops in the restaurant and café, Antarte selected national ash wood veneer. National ash wood was also used in the structure of the sofas. For the upholstery, the chosen fabric is a water-repellent cotton. The benches for the restaurant and café area are made from manually turned national cork particleboard. The prototypes of these pieces are already on display at the Antarte Center, near the entrance of the Antarte Museum.**
This is yet another world-class project that the Antarte brand has accustomed us to, such as the reclining chair for Pope Benedict XVI, the armchair for Pope Francis, and the art installation "Siza Vieira by Antarte" for the Vatican Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Biennale.
The project is officially presented today, January 16, at the Lisbon Oceanarium, with the presence of the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro. Discussions with Kengo Kuma's architectural office began in September 2024, and the agreement was finalized in October of the same year. The architecture of the Portugal Pavilion building was inspired by the theme “The Ocean | Blue Dialogue” and sustainability. The coordination was led by Portuguese architect Rita Topa, and AICEP played a crucial role in mediation.
For Mário Rocha, founder and CEO of Antarte, "It is a privilege to participate in a project like the Portugal Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo, a true global showcase of Portugal's cutting-edge craftsmanship. After working with Pritzker winners Siza Vieira and Souto Moura, the opportunity to collaborate with Kengo Kuma, one of the greatest figures in world architecture and a reference in the use of sustainable materials and respect for local knowledge and culture in every work he creates, reaffirms Antarte as the national brand with the credentials to represent the ancient knowledge and prestige of Portuguese woodworking."
The Companhia das Soluções is the agency responsible for communication & press office for Antarte.
