As the six-and-a-half-month 19th Venice Architecture Biennale approaches its conclusion, a remarkable collection of innovative projects has emerged that showcase practical, small-scale solutions to pressing climate challenges. Under the curatorial theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," curator Carlo Ratti has assembled the largest roster of participants in the Biennale's history, creating a platform for diverse design proposals that address the urgent need for substantial solutions amid the accelerating climate crisis.
The exhibition's framework organizes projects around three distinct forms of intelligence - natural, artificial, and collective - with more than 700 participants contributing installations that go far beyond traditional architectural displays. Among the standout contributions are projects that demonstrate four key approaches: opening critical conversations about architecture's future, proposing systemic responses tailored to local realities, positioning technology as a catalyst for design innovation, and pursuing material research grounded in local environmental sensitivity.
Several installations immediately capture visitors' attention by confronting uncomfortable realities about contemporary architecture's environmental impact. At the very entrance of the Arsenale, "Terms and Conditions" by Transsolar, Bilge Kobas, and Daniel A. Barber creates a powerful spatial allegory by bringing the "outside" of air conditioning systems indoors, exposing the waste heat produced by cooling exhibition rooms. This installation transforms the hidden consequences of thermal comfort into a visible representation of global inequality and environmental imbalance.
"The Other Side of the Hill" by Beatriz Colomina, Roberto Kolter, Patricia Urquiola, Geoffrey West, and Mark Wigley presents an equally striking sculptural landscape that visualizes the exponential growth and projected decline of human population. This installation reflects on the fragile future of biodiversity and emphasizes the urgent need for new forms of intelligence inspired by natural systems, challenging visitors to reconsider humanity's relationship with the environment.
Two particularly compelling projects explore the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. "Ancient Future: Bridging Bhutan's Tradition and Innovation" by Bjarke Ingels Group, Laurian Ghinitoiu, and Arata Mori demonstrates how traditional Bhutanese woodcarving techniques can evolve through AI-driven robotics, imagining a future where cultural preservation advances through technological innovation rather than being threatened by it.
Meanwhile, "10,000 Hours of Care" by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture translates the concept of artisanal dedication into architectural practice through a low-carbon, energy-positive workshop design for Hermès Workshops in Normandy. This project redefines industrial design principles by emphasizing care, precision, and environmental responsibility, suggesting new pathways for integrating traditional craftsmanship values with contemporary sustainability goals.
The Biennale's commitment to circular design principles is evident in several groundbreaking projects that challenge the conventional throwaway culture of large-scale exhibitions. The "Circularity Handbook" by PILLS, JIN ARTS, typo_d, Archi-Neering-Design/AND Office, Róng Design Library, Valeria Tatano, Massimiliano Condotta, Xiaoqing Cui, and Zhengwei Tang provides practical guidance for implementing zero-waste strategies across all stages of exhibition-making, while its accompanying installation demonstrates how collaborative approaches can lead to tangible environmental improvements.
"Alternative Urbanism: The Self-Organized Markets of Lagos" by Oshinowo Studio, which received one of this year's Special Mentions, shifts focus to the informal economies of African cities. This project reveals how self-organized networks successfully transform industrial waste into productive ecosystems of reuse, offering valuable insights for urban planning and resource management in rapidly growing cities worldwide.
The documentary series "HouseEurope!" by the Canadian Centre for Architecture, recipient of this year's OBEL Award, advocates for European legislation that prioritizes renovation and adaptive reuse over demolition. This project frames architectural transformation as both an ecological necessity and a fundamental civic right, proposing policy changes that could significantly impact how European cities approach urban development and historic preservation.
Technological innovation takes center stage in several projects that demonstrate how digital intelligence can address social and environmental challenges. The Golden Lion winner "Canal Café" by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Natural Systems Utilities, SODAI, Aaron Betsky, and Davide Oldani transforms Venice's lagoon water into drinkable espresso through an innovative hybrid purification system that combines bio-filtration with artificial processes. This project turns Venice's vulnerable canals - a symbol of climate change threats - into a source of renewal and hope.
From Chile's harsh Atacama Desert, "Deserta Ecofolie" by Pedro Ignacio Alonso and Pamela Prado explores off-grid living through a compact prototype that integrates fog catchers, solar panels, and wind turbines to sustain minimal dwelling in extreme conditions. This project demonstrates how technology can enable human habitation in previously uninhabitable environments while maintaining minimal environmental impact.
"Circularity on the Edge" by Ukrainian architects Kateryna Lopatiuk, Herman Mitish, Yana Buchatska, Orest Yaremchuk, Oleksandr Sirous, and Roman Puchko introduces an AI-driven approach to identifying and reusing materials from buildings damaged in Ukraine's ongoing conflict. This project proposes technological circularity as a crucial framework for post-conflict reconstruction, showing how artificial intelligence can support both environmental sustainability and social recovery.
Material innovation represents perhaps the most tangible aspect of the exhibition's exploration of sustainable futures. "Water-Filled Glass: Fluid Architecture and Liquid Engineering" by Water-Filled Glass and Hydro Building Systems transforms traditional glazing into a living system by circulating water through transparent panels to regulate indoor temperatures and dramatically reduce energy consumption. This innovation demonstrates how familiar building materials can be reimagined as active environmental control systems.
"Elephant Chapel" by Boonserm Premthada, which also received a Special Mention, pushes the boundaries of natural materials by reimagining brick construction through bio-based components made from elephant dung. This project achieves lightweight structural strength with minimal environmental impact, while also addressing waste management in regions with large elephant populations.
"Alternative Skies" by Wesam Al Asali, Sigrid Adriaenssens, Romina Canna, and Robin Oval bridges traditional craft knowledge with computational design by exploring roof and floor systems that combine vernacular building wisdom with digital fabrication techniques. This project creates structures that are both culturally resonant and technically advanced, demonstrating how local building traditions can inform contemporary architectural innovation.
As the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale prepares to close, these thirteen highlighted projects collectively represent a new direction for architectural practice - one that embraces small-scale, locally responsive solutions while leveraging both traditional wisdom and cutting-edge technology. Rather than proposing grand gestures or monumental interventions, these works suggest that architecture's response to climate change may be most effective when it operates at a human scale, engages with local conditions and cultures, and creates systems that can adapt and evolve over time.
