From 2 to 4 August, the Portugal Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka will host “The Future is Now”, an immersive exhibition curated by Andreia Garcia, showcasing the vision of the future developed by a new generation of Portuguese architects.
Rather than anticipating scenarios, the exhibition seeks to give form and voice to architectural practices that are already shaping alternative futures. Starting from the conviction that “the architecture of the future lies in the hands of the youngest generations”, the project brings together 23 architecture studios based across Portugal, led by architects whose work is defined by responsibility, experimentation, and rootedness in place. The selection reflects practices that operate with scarcity, proximity, and an acute awareness of the times, rethinking ways of doing and expanding disciplinary boundaries.
Rather than anticipating scenarios, the exhibition seeks to give form and voice to architectural practices that are already shaping alternative futures. Starting from the conviction that “the architecture of the future lies in the hands of the youngest generations”, the project brings together 23 architecture studios based across Portugal, led by architects whose work is defined by responsibility, experimentation, and rootedness in place. The selection reflects practices that operate with scarcity, proximity, and an acute awareness of the times, rethinking ways of doing and expanding disciplinary boundaries.
© Diana Quintela
The exhibition takes the form of a triptych documentary film, projected in a dark and immersive space. Through a combination of first-person interviews and footage of projects — whether built or not — the film reveals the diversity of strategies, contexts and future ideas that each practice puts forward. It is a device that makes visible not only results, but also processes, commitments, and the conditions shaping these emerging voices.
The curatorial concept revolves around three interdependent dimensions of architectural action: ecological, social and economic sustainability. From small-scale, everyday interventions to speculative proposals for territorial transformation, The Future is Now illustrates how this generation works between constraints and possibilities, between reality and necessity.
The curatorial concept revolves around three interdependent dimensions of architectural action: ecological, social and economic sustainability. From small-scale, everyday interventions to speculative proposals for territorial transformation, The Future is Now illustrates how this generation works between constraints and possibilities, between reality and necessity.
© atlante (Francisco Ascensão + Luca Bosco)
Portugal is presented as a country of critical, diverse and engaged architecture. Inheriting a legacy of excellence, this generation reinterprets it through active listening, imaginative action, and meaningful engagement. As Expo 2025 Osaka invites countries to reflect on the Sustainable Development Goals and Society 5.0, the exhibition affirms architecture as a space for thought, commitment and transformation.
Following her role as curator of the Portuguese Official Representation at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, Andreia Garcia once again plays a central role in promoting Portuguese architecture internationally. The exhibition film is directed by Andreia Garcia and produced by Bauti Godoy, in co-production with architectural affairs + Canal180.
Following her role as curator of the Portuguese Official Representation at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, Andreia Garcia once again plays a central role in promoting Portuguese architecture internationally. The exhibition film is directed by Andreia Garcia and produced by Bauti Godoy, in co-production with architectural affairs + Canal180.
study models © Francisco Ascenção
