Since the 1990s, the U.S. State Department has been barred from spending public funds on world expo pavilions. The result has been a series of disasters: the U.S. was a no-show at the expo in Hanover, Germany, in 2000; it then built lackluster, overly commercialized pavilions for the 2005 and 2010 expos in Aichi, Japan, and Shanghai, China.

Looking back at the projects covered in Architectural Record during 2015, the editors have selected five pavilions—places intended for contemplation, meditation, and reflection—that thoughtfully consider both context and programmatic needs.

A ribbon of glass, steel, and wood floats through a hilly landscape, serving a nonprofit foundation dedicated to bringing people closer to art, nature, and faith.