Shirin Frangoul-Brückner: How Architecture Gets People Moving
A design nudge is a spatial or visual device that unconsciously guides, activates and engages people without instruction or force. In architecture, this means spaces that shape behaviour before a single message is communicated. That principle is at the heart of Uzbekistan's pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, which received Gold at the German Design Awards 2026.
Titled Garden of Knowledge, the pavilion presents Uzbekistan as a nation in transformation. It brings together cultural heritage and future ambitions, traditional craftsmanship and contemporary architecture, sustainability and social relevance.
Yet the project's true strength lies somewhere deeper. Frangoul-Brückner is clear that the ambition goes beyond content: "It's not just about communicating content. It's about bringing people together, creating encounters and establishing a dialogue between content, place and visitor."
At a World Expo, this is no small challenge. Surrounded by more than a hundred participating nations, visitors often decide within seconds which pavilion deserves their attention. Architecture becomes a design nudge.
Iconic Architecture as an Invitation
The key point is this: the Uzbekistan Pavilion sparks curiosity before a single message is communicated. Its striking timber structure is visible from afar. The open construction draws visitors in without demanding attention.
For Frangoul-Brückner, this is entirely intentional: "We created an iconic piece of architecture that first attracts people through its image. Only then do we have the opportunity to engage them with the content."
The pavilion works as an invitation. Visitors enter because the architecture intrigues them. Only afterwards do they begin exploring the themes behind it: science, education, cultural heritage and the transformation of a country redefining its future. In this sense, architecture becomes the first chapter of a story.
Good design does not begin with the designer's own perspective. One of the greatest challenges, Frangoul-Brückner argues, is putting aside personal preferences and consistently designing from the user's point of view:
"We constantly have to ask ourselves: who are we doing this for? It's not about expressing ourselves. It doesn't even have to please us. It has to reach people."
The pavilion's architecture is open, transparent and accessible. It creates participation rather than distance. Visitors do not move through a closed object but through a space designed for exchange, discovery and multiple perspectives.
Identity Emerges from Context
Identity in architecture cannot simply be invented or applied, it must emerge from the context of a place and its history. This is the core principle behind Atelier Brückner's approach. "It's about creating identity from the context itself."
In the Uzbekistan Pavilion, this approach is visible on three levels:
- Symbol: The triangular footprint references the traditional Tumar, a protective amulet deeply rooted in Central Asian culture.
- Material: The base of clay and brick represents the earth, heritage and cultural foundations of the country.
- Structure: An eight-metre-high forest of timber columns recalls the temple and palace architecture of the Silk Road — reinterpreted for a contemporary audience.
As visitors move through the pavilion, overlapping timber elements create constantly changing patterns and visual impressions. The building evolves with every perspective. Architecture becomes an experience rather than a static object.
The key point is this: memorable places do not simply function well, they trigger something. As Frangoul-Brückner puts it: "The most remarkable places are not simply used. They are experienced."
Architecture achieves this by operating simultaneously on two scales: Socially, it creates opportunities for encounter and dialogue. On a human scale, it connects with the individual through light, materiality, proportion and atmosphere. Meaning emerges where all three dimensions intersect.
Sustainability as Part of the Narrative
In the Garden of Knowledge, sustainability is not a technical feature, it is part of the content itself. Timber, clay and brick are traditional Uzbek materials while simultaneously supporting a rigorous circular approach.
The circular approach extends well beyond the Expo. The timber structure is currently being reassembled as part of a children's library and cultural campus in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. Visitors can even trace the origin of every individual timber column via a digital tracking system.
For Frangoul-Brückner, the architecture of the future is not created by breaking away from the past, but by building upon it: “It's about understanding cultural heritage and translating it into the future.”
Does Your Project Show How Design Connects with People?
The Uzbekistan Pavilion demonstrates that design can be far more than a functional solution. Great architecture creates orientation, builds identity, makes complex ideas accessible and brings people together. Most importantly, it leaves a lasting impression.
These are exactly the kinds of projects celebrated by the German Design Awards. The awards recognise work that not only excels in design quality but also offers meaningful responses to the challenges of our time — projects that connect with people, open new perspectives and set new standards.
If your project demonstrates how design can positively shape cultural, social or economic development, now is the time to act: register for the German Design Awards 2027, present your work to an international jury and become part of a global network of design excellence.
