Carlo Ratti<\/em>\u2019s curatorial statement for the Biennale Architettura 2025<\/em> is both urgent and optimistic. “To face a burning world, architecture must harness all the intelligence around us”<\/em>, he declares.<\/p>\n In 2024, the planet experienced its hottest temperatures on record, surpassing the Paris Agreement\u2019s 1.5\u00b0C threshold. From floods in Valencia to wildfires in Los Angeles and droughts in Sicily, climate change is no longer a distant threat \u2014 it\u2019s a daily reality. For Ratti<\/em>, architecture must move beyond mitigation strategies and embrace adaptation as a central design philosophy.<\/p>\n This Biennale<\/em> takes that challenge head-on, positioning architecture not just as a way to reduce harm, but as a means to create resilient, responsive, and inclusive environments in the face of environmental upheaval.<\/p>\n An architect and engineer with a global profile, Carlo Ratti<\/em> is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)<\/em> and the Politecnico di Milano. He directs the Senseable City Lab<\/em> at MIT<\/em> and is the founding partner of CRA \u2013 Carlo Ratti Associati<\/em>, with offices in Turin, New York, and London.<\/p>\n Ratti<\/em>\u2019s career has consistently blurred the boundaries between design, technology, and urban life, making him a natural fit to lead a Biennale<\/em> focused on multiple forms of intelligence. His vision for Intelligens<\/em> expands the concept of intelligence beyond artificial intelligence, embracing the natural, the human, and the collective.<\/p>\n The neologism Intelligens<\/em> is derived from the Latin gens<\/em>, meaning “people”. It signals a participatory and inclusive approach to architecture, where intelligence is not the domain of machines alone but is distributed across disciplines, communities, and generations.<\/p>\n The 2025 Biennale<\/em> brings together more than 750 participants from over 300 contributions \u2014 not only architects and engineers, but also mathematicians, climate scientists, philosophers, artists, chefs, coders, farmers, fashion designers, and more.<\/p>\n This diversity reflects Ratti<\/em>\u2019s belief that adaptation to climate change requires every form of intelligence we can mobilize.<\/p>\n For the first time, the curatorial process was opened to the global community through the “Space for Ideas”, an open call for proposals that invited feedback and iteration between participants and the curatorial team.<\/p>\n The response was overwhelming, uncovering fresh perspectives from established masters to emerging voices. The process challenged the traditional notion of the architect as sole author, replacing it with a more academic-style attribution system that recognizes every significant contributor to a project.<\/p>\n The main Exhibition, located in the Arsenale\u2019s Corderie<\/em> and Artiglierie<\/em>, unfolds across three thematic realms:<\/p>\n – Natural Intelligence<\/strong> \u2013 Exploring how ecological systems, traditional practices, and the inherent wisdom of the natural world can inform sustainable architecture.<\/p>\n – Artificial Intelligence<\/strong> \u2013 Looking beyond automation to see how digital tools and AI can be harnessed for adaptive, ethical, and human-centered design.<\/p>\n – Collective Intelligence<\/strong> \u2013 Showcasing collaborative processes that span generations, disciplines, and communities.<\/p>\n The journey begins with a stark visual statement: rising global temperatures contrasted with declining global populations \u2014 a challenge to rethink not just how we build, but why.<\/p>\n With the Central Pavilion<\/em> under renovation, Venice itself becomes part of the Exhibition. Installations, prototypes, and experiments will spread beyond the Giardini<\/em> and Arsenale<\/em> into the city\u2019s neighborhoods.<\/p>\n This “Living Lab”<\/em> concept transforms Venice \u2014 a city on the frontline of climate change \u2014 into an experimental ground for solutions, engaging locals and visitors alike. Special Projects<\/em> will tackle pressing global issues through multidisciplinary teams, from architects and scientists to community organizations.<\/p>\n The Biennale Architettura 2025<\/em> brings together 66 National Participations<\/em> alongside a rich selection of Special Projects<\/em>. Here are some of the standout contributions that will define this year\u2019s exhibition:<\/p>\n Denmark \u2013 Build of Site<\/strong><\/p>\n Denmark\u2019s Build of Site<\/em> offers a thought-provoking reflection on how we can build on the world without building anew. More than just an exhibition, the Danish Pavilion<\/em> is undergoing an active refurbishment to future-proof its structure against climate change and excessive rainfall.<\/p>\n Conceived as a paused construction site, the pavilion is being rebuilt using materials sourced on-site. The floor of the newer Koch<\/em> extension will be raised and reinforced, showcasing innovative techniques that reframe the value of materials. Functioning as a “living laboratory”<\/em>, the pavilion demonstrates an open-source approach to sustainable construction and a rethinking of the architectural life cycle.<\/p>\n Spain \u2013 Internalities: Architectures for Territorial Equilibrium<\/strong><\/p>\n Curated by Manuel Bouzas Barcala<\/em> and Roi Salgueiro Barrio<\/em>, Spain\u2019s Internalities<\/em> directly responds to Carlo Ratti<\/em>\u2019s call to present tangible solutions to the environmental crisis. The exhibition focuses on strategies for decarbonizing architecture in Spain by balancing ecological systems with economic realities.<\/p>\n The pavilion presents a new generation of Spanish architects working with local, regenerative, and low-carbon materials such as wood, stone, ceramics, cork, clay, and plant fibers, sourced from forests, quarries, and agricultural landscapes across the country.<\/p>\n Organized around five key “axes of internality” \u2014 materials, crafts, energy, waste, and emissions \u2014 the exhibition challenges conventional practices and advocates for robust, self-sufficient territorial ecosystems.<\/p>\n Italian Pavilion \u2013 TERR\u00c6 AQU\u00c6<\/strong><\/p>\n Curated by Guendalina Salimei<\/em>, the Italian Pavilion<\/em> explores Italy\u2019s deep relationship with the sea. TERR\u00c6 AQU\u00c6 <\/em>rethinks the boundary between land and water, integrating architecture, infrastructure, and landscape into a unified vision that reflects the Mediterranean\u2019s vital role in the nation\u2019s identity and future resilience.<\/p>\n Holy See Pavilion \u2013 Opera aperta<\/strong><\/p>\n Curated by Marina Otero Verzier<\/em> and Giovanna Zabotti<\/em>, the Holy See Pavilion<\/em> is conceived as an evolving, open work \u2014 a collaborative space that invites associations and communities from Venice to contribute their skills.<\/p>\n The project embodies a vision of hope for the future of architecture, where the built environment serves both people and planet.<\/p>\n Venice Pavilion \u2013 Libraries. Building Venetian Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n Curated by Benno Albrecht<\/em>, Michele Casarin<\/em>, and Roberto Beraldo<\/em>, the Venice Pavilion<\/em> transforms into a monumental library. Conceived as a metaphor for collective intelligence, the pavilion expand into other institutional and academic spaces, reinforcing Venice\u2019s role as a hub of knowledge and creativity.<\/p>\n Margherissima<\/strong><\/p>\n Located at Forte Marghera<\/em>, Margherissima<\/em> is a visionary prototype for a future urban district, designed by students of the Architectural Association<\/em> (London) in collaboration with architect Nigel Coates<\/em> and other design leaders. It reimagines an industrial hinterland into a climate-conscious neighborhood.<\/p>\n Pavilion of the Applied Arts \u2013 On Storage<\/strong><\/p>\n In partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum<\/em> (London), the Pavilion of the Applied Arts<\/em> presents On Storage<\/em>, an investigation into the architecture of global storage systems. At its core is Boxed: The Mild Boredom of Order<\/em>, a new six-channel film by Diller Scofidio + Renfro<\/em>, connecting architecture, logistics, and the hidden infrastructures of everyday life.<\/p>\n Sustainability is central to Intelligens<\/em>. The Biennale Architettura\u2019s Circular Economy Manifesto<\/em>, developed with Arup<\/em> and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation<\/em>, sets ambitious targets for material reuse and waste reduction. Exhibition structures will largely be built from recycled wood panels, destined to be repurposed after the event.<\/p>\n La Biennale di Venezia<\/em> also aims to achieve carbon neutrality for all its 2025 activities, building on its 2022 certification.<\/p>\n The GENS<\/em> programme<\/em> runs throughout the six-month Exhibition, offering conferences, workshops, and activations in venues such as Ca\u2019 Giustinian<\/em> and the Teatro Piccolo Arsenale<\/em>.<\/p>\n Speakers include scientists, activists, artists, politicians, and practitioners, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and engaging audiences both on-site and remotely. The Speakers\u2019 Corner<\/em> at the Corderie dell\u2019Arsenale<\/em> will act as a hub for public discourse, designed by Christopher Hawthorne<\/em>, Johnston Marklee<\/em>, and Florencia Rodriguez<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Biennale<\/em> will honor American philosopher Donna Haraway<\/em> with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement<\/em>, and posthumously award Italian architect Italo Rota<\/em> the Special Golden Lion<\/em>.<\/p>\n Carlo Ratti<\/em> envisions the Biennale Architettura 2025<\/em> as more than an exhibition \u2014 it\u2019s a “chain reaction” of ideas, projects, and collaborations that can help shape an adaptable and inclusive architectural future.<\/p>\n By uniting natural, artificial, and collective intelligence, Intelligens<\/em> aims to expand our toolkit for designing in an age of uncertainty. In Ratti<\/em>\u2019s words, “Architecture must become as flexible and dynamic as the world we are now designing for”<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Biennale for a Burning World Carlo Ratti\u2019s curatorial statement for the Biennale Architettura 2025 is both urgent and optimistic. “To face a burning world, architecture must harness all the intelligence around us”, he declares. In 2024, the planet experienced its hottest temperatures on record, surpassing the Paris Agreement\u2019s 1.5\u00b0C threshold. From floods in Valencia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":90659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5959,5918,5916,5902,5901,5900],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","category-inspiration-en-2","category-inspiration-en","category-exhibitions","category-artists","category-art-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cTo face a burning world, architecture must harness all the intelligence around us.\u201d Carlo Ratti<\/h2>\n
The Curator: Carlo Ratti<\/h6>\n
Theme: Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.<\/h6>\n
An Open Curatorial Process: The Space for Ideas<\/h6>\n
Three Worlds of Intelligence<\/h6>\n
Venice as a Living Lab<\/h6>\n
Pavilion Highlights at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025<\/h6>\n
Circular Economy and Climate Action<\/h6>\n
The GENS Public Programme<\/h6>\n
Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement<\/h6>\n
An Exhibition for the Future<\/h6>\n
\u201cArchitecture must become as flexible and dynamic as the world we are now designing for.\u201d Carlo Ratti<\/h2>\n