Venice Architecture Biennale 2025: Rethinking Architecture in a Changing World
Under the motto “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.“, the XIX Venice Architecture Biennale unfolds, until November 2025, a profound reflection on the role of architecture in a changing world. Carlo Ratti, architect and curator of this edition, proposes a radically contemporary approach: to abandon the idea that everything must be resolved urgently and embrace intelligent adaptation towards the future. A future inhabited by more than 750 participants, 66 national pavilions and countless proposals where design, science, artificial intelligence and biology intertwine.
In a context marked by the climate emergency, demographic growth and the transformation of territories, architecture must be rethought as a collective discipline. Ratti proposes leaving behind the concept of individual authorship to embrace a more inclusive model, inspired by science, where architects, engineers, philosophers, farmers, fashion designers, chefs and climate scientists coexist.
Collaborative ecosystems and key proposals
Among the most stimulating proposals stands out the Belgian pavilion, where landscape architect Bas Smets and biologist Stefano Mancuso have turned the space into an interactive biosphere. More than 200 plants regulate the interior microclimate through sensors and artificial intelligence, becoming active allies of human well-being: a vivid example of what Ratti calls “digital horticulture”.
The Brazilian pavilion reminds us that the Amazon was not a virgin jungle, but a landscape managed by indigenous peoples for millennia. Its installation reinvokes those ancestral infrastructures that promoted a sustainable balance with the environment, as a lesson for current cities.
Latvia presents a unique political landscape, from its border with Russia, reinforced with elements from the Second World War to the psychological effects of militarisation on the concept of home. Meanwhile, Qatar, new to this edition, anticipates its future pavilion with an intervention by architect Yasmeen Lari: a bamboo and clay community centre designed and built in collaboration with the communities themselves.
In the US pavilion, the “porch” becomes a symbol of welcome, domestic reflection and intermediate space. As a temporary intervention, the firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro proposes a temporary library and an unusual experiment: filtering water from the canals of Venice to prepare espresso, raising awareness about water scarcity through an ironic, poetic approach.
Spain: territorial balances and regenerative materials
The Spanish pavilion, curated by Manuel Bouzas Barcala and Roi Salgueiro Barrio, stands out for its specific and territorial approach. Under the title “Internalities: Architectures for Territorial Equilibrium,” it proposes five thematic rooms that cover materials, crafts, energies, waste, and emissions, through built works in various Iberian regions. Wood, ceramics, stone, clay or cork are some of the protagonists, always from a perspective that combines sustainability, regeneration and local connections.
A biennale with a purpose
This edition also aligns with a broader objective: to be the first Biennale to achieve carbon neutrality certification. The circular economy manifesto that Carlo Ratti presented in 2024 now materialises in pavilions conceived as lasting legacies. The exhibition showcases proposals as diverse as a chapel constructed with elephant dung bricks (Thailand), a spatial structure made from fabrics developed for astronaut suits, or urban models manufactured from industrial leftovers.
