Palm fronds from UAE pavilion to support community centre in earthquake-affected Wajima, Japan

Tokyo, Japan / Abu Dhabi, UAE, May 11, 2026: Date palm materials from the United Arab Emirates Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai are being repurposed for the construction of a community centre in Wajima City on Japan’s Noto Peninsula, supporting rebuilding efforts following the 2024 earthquake.

Date palm fronds used in the Pavilion have been carefully salvaged and processed into strand boards, which are now being considered for use in the community centre’s walls. The Pavilion’s remaining Datecrete paving blocks, a UAE-developed innovative material derived from crushed date seeds and reclaimed palm fronds, will be used for paving applications within the project.

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Date Palm fronds formed a defining element of the UAE Pavilion’s architecture, including its 90 palm rachis columns. These materials reflected a reimagining of traditional Emirati resources, demonstrating how date palm-based materials can be adapted through design and engineering. Their reuse in Wajima extends this approach into a practical community setting.

The initiative builds on recent efforts to extend the Pavilion’s legacy beyond the Expo site. Earlier this year, the UAE Pavilion pergola was installed in Tottori Prefecture, where it now serves as a public gathering space within the local community.

His Excellency Shihab Alfaheem, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates to Japan and Commissioner General of the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, said: “This initiative extends the life of the Pavilion in a way that is both purposeful and grounded in real-world application. It reflects an approach in which design and material innovation are not confined to a single moment but continue to find purpose in new contexts. In this case, that continuation supports a community effort in Wajima.”

“It also reflects the relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Japan, where collaboration is carried forward through joint efforts that lead to real, on-ground outcomes. This builds on an earlier initiative led by the UAE Embassy in Japan in collaboration with Shigeru Ban Architects, which resulted in the development of two houses gifted to families affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake,” he added.

The proposed community centre in Wajima City is currently in the design phase and is intended to serve as a shared space for local residents. The use of date palm-based strand boards and other materials derived from the Pavilion is being explored as part of a design approach that is both functional and responsive to local needs.

Yasunori Harano, Director, Shigeru Ban Architects, the lead architect firm of the project, said: “This project considers how materials can be reintroduced in a different context. The date palm-based boards offer a way to connect the UAE Pavilion’s material research with a structure that serves a clear community purpose. The focus is on creating a space that is simple, adaptable and relevant to its surroundings.”

During Expo 2025 Osaka, the UAE Pavilion welcomed over five million combined visitors, making it the most visited national pavilion at the event. Guided by the theme Earth to Ether, it presented the UAE’s story through a narrative that connected heritage, innovation and human ambition, with a strong focus on material experimentation, cultural dialogue and people-led storytelling.

Construction of the community centre in Wajima is expected to begin in the coming months.

About UAE Expo Office 

The UAE Expo Office serves as a national platform for convening people, ideas, and innovations in the service of global progress. Incubated by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office leads the UAE’s strategic participation at international expositions — most recently Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

The UAE Expo Office was created with a clear purpose: to bring together people and innovations to address humanity’s challenges. Guided by the values of optimism, openness, ambition, and resilience, the Office delivers magnetic and meaningful experiences that inspire action and foster collaboration across cultures, sectors, and generations.

Through curated programming and strategic partnerships, the UAE Expo Office designs environments that accelerate progress — connecting global audiences and catalysing solutions in education, healthcare, sustainable technologies, and space exploration. In doing so, it contributes mindfully to the overarching goals of each Expo, while generating distinctive value for the UAE through content, ideas, and initiatives that may not otherwise have emerged.

At Expo 2025 Osaka, the UAE Expo Office aimed to bring joy, curiosity, and collaboration to every visitor encounter. Its work is anchored in the UAE’s vision for inclusive global development, and its programming will empower new thinking, shared purpose, and collective progress— from the Earth to the Ether. 

For more information, please visit the UAE Pavilion website: https://uaepavilionexpo.com/

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