Jordan Pavilion - Expo 1992 (Seville)

Seville, Spain. The Age of Discovery

Project Brief

The Jordan Pavilion at the Seville Expo 1992 was a landmark cultural project that presented Jordan’s rich civilizational heritage on a global stage. The design followed a chronological storytelling approach, guiding visitors through the historical eras of Jordan—from Nabataean to Umayyad to the contemporary Hashemite Kingdom—through immersive, emotionally resonant spaces. The pavilion was conceived not as a traditional exhibition space, but as an architectural experience that captured the spirit of Jordan.

Project Type / Scale: National Pavilion Design – Cultural Exhibition Space within the Seville Expo 1992

Client Organization: Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Notable Accomplishments:

• Presented Jordan's layered civilizations through a spatial narrative experience.

• Featured architectural reconstructions like Petra’s Siq and Al-Khazna.

• Merged photography with architecture to create an immersive environment.

• Balanced historical authenticity with a modern national identity.

• Strengthened Jordan’s global cultural presence and soft power.

• Fostered new pathways for international collaboration in design and heritage.

• Designed by Dr. Rasem Badran, the pavilion became a regional model for context-driven Expo architecture.

• Influenced discourse around cultural authenticity and “sense of place” in public design.

• The commercial spine was reimagined as a seamless pedestrian connector, linking the East to West and North to South of the DQ. The landscape strategy incorporated seasonal adaptability, creating social nodes that encourage public engagement through art, commerce, and cultural exchange.

A Cultural Journey:

The design was praised for its integration of photography and architecture, a concept that transformed the pavilion into a “place” rather than a display container, aligning with emerging spatial and curatorial trends at the time. The blending of historical elements with contemporary identity—in layout, visuals, and atmosphere—was seen as a forward-thinking move that redefined how nations present identity in world expos.

“The Pavilion influenced regional architectural discourse, especially around themes of “sense of place” & cultural authenticity in public projects.”

Relevance

This pavilion set a regional precedent for how national identity could be expressed in world expositions. Its use of architecture and photography to create a sense of place—not just display—was groundbreaking. The project remains a reference model for culturally rooted, narrative-driven pavilion design, aligning with the ethos of many contemporary Expo proposals, including those focused on legacy, identity, and prosperity.