Photo/Illutration An artist’s impression of the revised design for the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion after cost cuts shows a much smaller part of the roof made of mesh frames. (Provided by the Osaka pavilion promotion committee)

OSAKA--The final price tag for a contract to build the flagship pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo will be 9.9 billion yen ($70 million), officials of the Osaka prefecture and city governments reported at a meeting on Nov. 21. 

The Osaka Healthcare Pavilion will be an exhibition venue presented by the Osaka prefectural government, the Osaka city government and other participants. 

The two local governments originally estimated the construction cost would be 7.4 billion yen. However, the construction company put the cost at 19.5 billion yen due to soaring prices for construction materials and for other reasons.

Responding to criticism from assembly members about the construction company’s price, the two governments slashed the cost by changing the venue’s roof design and through other means.

The roof design will serve as the unique, main feature of the pavilion.

The plan as of June was to create the roof with mesh frames fitted with panels of transparent glass. Water was then to flow on the surface of the roof to create an otherworldly atmosphere inside the venue, into which natural sunlight will shine from above.

The concept was to give visitors the impression they are underwater.

The Osaka prefectural and city governments and other parties started soliciting bids to build the pavilion in May, estimating construction would cost 7.4 billion yen.

However, Takenaka Corp., a construction company that was chosen as the first preferred bidder with the right to negotiate the contract, proposed a contract price of 19.5 billion yen, around 2.6 times the estimate.

After this, Osaka prefectural and city governments cut the construction cost to 11.5 billion yen by changing the design and materials of the pavilion.

In October, the Osaka prefectural and city assemblies each passed supplementary budgets needed to fill the gap between 7.4 billion yen and 11.5 billion yen.

Still, members of the assemblies called for further cost cutting.

The Osaka prefectural and city governments considered ways to accomplish the reduction, with 10 billion yen as their target.

They reached an agreement with Takenaka to further reduce the cost to 9.9 billion yen.

To do so, the roof design was tweaked from the original idea.

Water will still flow on the surface of the roof and natural sunlight will still shine into the venue. However, transparent membrane material will be used instead of glass to construct the roof.

Portions of the roof not visible to visitors will also be a flat surface that won’t use mesh frames.

The roof will also be constructed using bolts rather than through welding, as originally planned.

The pavilion will be built near the entrance of the expo site to represent Osaka, where the international event will take place.

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