Iceland has announced its National Pavilion for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, presenting Lavaforming, a project led by architect Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, founder of s.ap architects. This pavilion, commissioned by Iceland Design and Architecture, will showcase an innovative approach to creating sustainable building materials from controlled lava flows.
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Lavaforming explores Iceland’s unique geological conditions, positioned between tectonic plates that result in frequent volcanic activity and vast lava fields. Instead of viewing this natural force as a destructive event, Lavaforming envisions harnessing it as a renewable resource for the construction industry. The concept imagines a future where lava flows could form the foundational material for buildings, drastically reducing environmental impact by eliminating harmful mining practices and utilizing the power of nature itself.
Courtesy of National Museum of Iceland
Lavaforming is seen as a forward-thinking initiative rooted in Iceland’s legacy of harnessing natural resources, much like the country’s geothermal energy development centuries ago. The Icelandic Pavilion marks the country’s inaugural open call at the Biennale, highlighting Iceland’s commitment to innovative and sustainable design solutions on the global stage. The pavilion will be supported by Iceland Design and Architecture, reinforcing the significance of design in shaping Iceland’s future.
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The goal of Lavaforming is to redefine architecture’s role in sustainability and innovation, demonstrating that lava can become a versatile and sustainable building material. This is both a practical proposal and a paradigm shift for architecture, pushing us to reconsider materials and methods that have long-lasting impacts. — Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, project’s curator and creative director.
Pálmadóttir’s work is well-regarded for its interdisciplinary and circular approach to architecture, with a focus on using recyclable and sustainable materials. She leads both s.ap architects in Iceland and the Icelandic branch of Danish architecture firm Lendager, underscoring her dedication to sustainable development across the Nordic region. Her team, along with various collaborators, will bring Lavaforming to life at the Icelandic Pavilion in Venice in May 2025.
In other similar news, The National Pavilion UAE has announced that Azza Aboualam, an Emirati architect and Assistant Professor at Zayed University, has been appointed as the curator for the UAE’s participation in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition. The 19th International Architecture Exhibition will focus on the intersection of natural and artificial intelligence, exploring how these forms can help address global challenges such as climate change. In fact, Carlo Ratti has been appointed as the curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale, with the theme “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.”
We invite you to check out ArchDaily’s comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Venice Biennale.
The relationship between architecture and naval design has been a fascinating interplay of form and function that has evolved significantly. Both disciplines have a shared history of innovation, aesthetics, and functionality that have informed and inspired each other. This “love affair” has seen architects drawing inspiration from boats, particularly in the modernist era when ships’ streamlined, efficient designs influenced the aesthetic of buildings. Conversely, architectural principles have also been adapted to enhance the functionality and form of boats, demonstrating a reciprocal exchange that continues to shape both disciplines.
Architects’ fascination with boats can be traced back to the early 20th century when the concept of efficiency in design became a central theme in architecture and naval construction. The rise of industrialization and the advent of modern materials and technologies spurred a new wave of thinking that prioritized function and streamlined form. Boats, as highly engineered objects optimized for performance and efficiency, became a natural source of inspiration for architects seeking to embody these ideals in their buildings. This was particularly evident in the work of Le Corbusier, who famously declared that “a house is a machine for living” echoing the functionalist approach of naval architecture where every element of a vessel serves a specific purpose. In his seminal 1923 book “Towards a New Architecture”, Le Corbusier juxtaposed images of Cunard ocean liners with classical buildings, presenting the ships as ideals of modern design principles. This nautical aesthetic deeply influenced Modernist architecture, emphasizing clean lines, open floor plans, and sun-drenched spaces reminiscent of a ship’s deck.
The Louise-Catherine. Image via ArchipostaleLouise-Catherine, the Floating Refuge / Le Corbusier. Image Courtesy of Richard Pare, The Monacelli Press
The influence went both ways, as architects began applying their skills to boat design. Le Corbusier himself designed a floating homeless shelter called the Louise-Catherine, the “Floating Refuge”. Designed in 1929, this project transformed a simple canal barge into a modernist space, embodying the principles of efficiency and simplicity that were the hallmarks of naval design. Le Corbusier’s approach to this project reflected his belief in the potential of architecture to create efficient, adaptable spaces, much like the efficient use of space aboard a ship. This project not only showcased the influence of naval architecture on his work but also highlighted how the principles of boat design could be reimagined in the context of urban architecture.
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Modernism and the Streamline Aesthetic
As Modernism evolved, the nautical influence remained strong. The influence of naval architecture on buildings was not limited to functional aspects; it also extended to aesthetics. The Streamline Moderne style of the 1930s and 40s embraced aerodynamic forms inspired by both ships and aircraft, resulting in buildings with porthole windows, rounded corners, and smooth white surfaces. This design language emphasized speed and efficiency and became a visual metaphor for modernity and progress. Buildings like bus terminals and airports all echoed the lines of ships, reflecting a broader cultural fascination with travel, speed, and technological advancement. Notable examples include the De La Warr Pavilion by Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff, which seems poised to set sail from the English coast.
De La Warr Pavilion / Erich Mendelsohn, Serge Chermayeff, Anthony Kersting. Image via Photograph held at the the Courtaulds Conway Library. Wikipedia under CC BY 4.0
The post-war era saw a renewed focus on luxury ocean liners, with architects like Gio Ponti designing opulent interiors for ships like the Conte Biancamano and Conte Grande. These floating palaces became showcases for cutting-edge design, influencing land-based architecture. The Queen Elizabeth 2, launched in 1969 and designed by Dennis Lennon, epitomized this trend with its futuristic interiors that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Stanley Kubrick film. Also, architects like Alvar Aalto and Jean Prouvé embraced this streamlined aesthetic in their work, blending the curves and fluid forms of boats into the language of modern architecture. Aalto’s designs, for instance, often incorporated organic shapes and materials, echoing the natural curves and efficiency of boat construction. His approach was not merely stylistic; it also embraced the idea of buildings as holistic, integrated designs, much like the coherent and purposeful design of a ship. Aalto also experimented with boat-inspired furniture design, creating pieces like the iconic Paimio Chair that echoed the curves and ergonomics of shipboard furnishings. His “Tank” chair (Armchair 400), for instance, featured a curved plywood seat reminiscent of a boat hull, while Armchair 41 incorporated a frame that echoed the structural elements of wooden boats. These designs reflected the ergonomic considerations necessary for shipboard comfort and showcased Aalto’s innovative use of bent plywood. Similarly, Jean Prouvé’s work with prefabricated structures and his focus on modularity and efficiency drew clear parallels with the construction techniques used in shipbuilding, where prefabrication and standardization were essential.
Conte Biancamano / Gio Ponti. Image via William Beardmore & Company, Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
As architecture entered the High-Tech era, starting in the 1970s and ’80s, nautical influences took on a more technical aspect. Architects like Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster, and James Stirling incorporated elements of ship design into their buildings, from exposed structural elements to deck-like spaces. Creating structures that evoked the aesthetics of ships and incorporated their functional and engineering principles. Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano’s Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris stands as an iconic example of this trend. The building’s exposed structural elements, with its exterior escalators and color-coded service pipes, evoke the complex systems of a modern ship. This “inside-out” approach, where the building’s functional components become part of its aesthetic appeal, mirrors the efficient and purposeful design of modern vessels as the transparent façade and flexible interior spaces also echo the adaptability and openness found in contemporary ship design.
Norman Foster’s HSBC Building in Hong Kong features a dramatic atrium reminiscent of a ship’s engine room, with its exposed trusses and hanging service modules. This design not only creates a visually striking space but also emphasizes the building’s structural and mechanical systems, much like the visible inner workings of a ship. Foster’s approach to the HSBC Building demonstrates how the principles of industrial design, often refined in shipbuilding, can be successfully applied to large-scale architecture.
Renzo Piano’s work continued to explore the intersection of architecture and naval design. His Kansai International Airport Terminal in Osaka, Japan, with its mile-long curved roof resembling a sleek hull, showcases how architectural forms can be inspired by aerodynamic and hydrodynamic principles. The terminal’s interior, with its exposed structure and emphasis on natural light, creates an atmosphere reminiscent of a modern ship’s expansive decks.
Meanwhile, James Stirling and Michael Wilford’s Bookshop Pavilion in Venice offers a more literal interpretation of nautical themes in architecture. The structure evokes the image of a commercial cargo ship, with its expansive deck serving as a metaphorical space for the “cargo” of books. The captain’s bridge, punctuated by an exterior light fixture, completes the maritime analogy. This design not only pays homage to Venice’s rich maritime history but also demonstrates how architectural narratives can be built around nautical themes, creating spaces that are both functional and rich in symbolism.
The interplay between architecture and naval design has evolved into a cross-pollination of ideas, resulting in groundbreaking innovations that have reshaped both fields. While the sleek, efficient lines of ships have influenced the aesthetic and functional aspects of modern architecture, architectural innovations have equally made their mark on naval design. This reciprocal relationship has led to the development of vessels that are not only highly functional but also architecturally expressive, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in both domains.
One of the most prominent areas where architectural thinking has significantly impacted naval design is the adoption of lightweight materials, modular construction techniques, and a focus on sustainability. Architects like Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid have been at the forefront of this movement, exploring the intersections of architecture and boat design through their unique approaches. Gehry, known for his sculptural forms, applied his architectural language to boat design with the creation of the sailboat “Foggy”. This vessel features a distinctive, latticed structure reminiscent of Gehry’s architectural projects, where the use of advanced materials and innovative design techniques create an interplay of light, shadow, and form. Similarly, Zaha Hadid, who is known for his use of advanced computational design techniques, has experimented with creating boats that challenge traditional notions of naval architecture, integrating complex geometries and forms that are more akin to avant-garde buildings than conventional vessels. The “Jazz” superyacht is an example of that, demonstrating that her approach goes beyond mere aesthetics, as the design also incorporates advanced engineering to ensure optimal performance on the water, demonstrating how architectural principles can be adapted to enhance naval design.
Renzo Piano’s approach to yacht design exemplifies the blending of architectural and naval principles. His work on yachts like the Kirribilli and the Zattera reflects his architectural sensibility, focusing on open, airy interiors that emphasize light and space, much like his buildings. Piano’s yachts often feature extensive glass surfaces and seamless transitions between interior and exterior spaces, creating an experience that blurs the boundaries between the vessel and the surrounding environment. This design philosophy is not merely about aesthetics; it is also about enhancing the experiential quality of being on the water, integrating the vessel with its natural setting in a way that is reminiscent of how his architectural projects often integrate with their urban or natural surroundings.
Additionally, the influence of architecture on boat design is evident in projects that explore modularity and compact living — concepts that have long been a part of modernist architectural thinking. The rise of sustainable design has led architects to draw lessons from boats in terms of efficiency and self-sufficiency, concepts that are now being applied to floating architecture. Bjarke Ingels’ Urban Rigger project in Denmark is a prime example, using floating shipping containers repurposed as student housing. This project reflects a broader trend towards creating floating, adaptable living spaces that respond to urban challenges such as rising sea levels and limited land availability. The modular design of Urban Rigger is reminiscent of naval construction techniques, where prefabrication and flexibility are key to creating efficient, adaptable spaces.
The ongoing dialogue between architecture and naval design continues to shape our built environment, revealing an enduring fascination that transcends aesthetics and functionality. Modern cruise liners, with their sprawling amenities and intricate designs, resemble floating cities that blur the distinctions between ships and buildings, illustrating a convergence that reflects broader cultural and technological shifts. This influence is increasingly visible in contemporary architecture, where ship-inspired forms and principles are being adapted to meet the challenges of today, such as urban density, environmental sustainability, and resilience against climate change.
As we confront these global challenges, the synergy between architecture and naval design becomes more relevant, offering creative solutions like floating structures, amphibious buildings, and other hybrid forms that can adapt to our evolving needs. The long-standing love affair between buildings and boats is not just a relic of the past; it is a dynamic, evolving relationship that continues to inspire new ways of thinking about how we design and inhabit the spaces around us. As we navigate the future, this interplay will likely play a crucial role in shaping sustainable, adaptable environments, whether on land or sea, reinforcing the idea that the boundaries between these two realms are not fixed but fluid and full of possibility.
Consider the porch: A low-tech structure typically made of wood or stone that plays an oversized role in American culture. From August Wilson’s Pittsburgh, Harper Lee’s Alabama, Spike Lee’s New York, to John Steinbeck’s California; artists lean on porches as literary devices for telling complex stories about civic life, and as liminal spaces that divide our public and private worlds pregnant with meaning.
In all of its literary, political, and cultural dimensions, the porch will take center stage at the U.S. Pavilion in the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity will be commissioned and curated by Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School at University of Arkansas; Susan Chin, founder of DesignConnects; and Rod Bigelow of Crystal Bridges Museum.
The show which opens May 24, 2025, will focus on “the porch as a central element in American architecture, highlighting its social, environmental, and democratic significance.” It follows the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale exhibition curated by Cleveland-based SPACES at the U.S. Pavilion which focused on the role plastics play in perpetuating ecological collapse.
PORCH, as the title suggests, will deliver a new temporary porch attached to the front of the U.S. Pavilion, completed in 1930 by William Adams Delano. The temporary porch will coalesce near designs by Marlon Blackwell of Marlon Blackwell Architects; Stephen Burks of Stephen Burks Man Made; Julie Bargmann of D.I.R.T. studio; and Maura Rockcastle of Ten x Ten Landscape Architecture and Urbanism. The Architect’s Newspaper will be the exhibition’s media partner.
More than 50 practices will participate, whose names will be shared in the coming weeks. Timothy Hursley will photograph the exhibition and its accompanying “musical performances, readings, farm-to-table meals, children’s education, social exchanges, craft demonstrations, and educational dialogues.” Apple Seeds Teaching Farm—a nonprofit based in Fayetteville, Arkansas—will provide food at the U.S. Pavilion. Poetry readings and musical performances will take place on Juneteenth and July 4, 2025.
“This exhibition has a very personal dimension for me, but the choice to center porches was arrived at by consensus,” Peter MacKeith told AN. “Myself, Susan Chin, Marlon Blackwell, Rod Bigelow, Julie Bargmann, Maura Rockcastle, Stephen Burks, and Tim Hursley have had lengthy discussions over a long period of time about this theme, and its potential for conveying a broad story about American architecture, and culture.”
Connecting the Dots
Today’s announcement comes three months after chief curator Carlo Ratti shared with AN his overall vision for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition. In May, Ratti said this upcoming biennale, Intelligens, will focus on the city of Venice, Italy, as a testbed for combating climate change. The grand affair will be organized around three key themes: natural intelligence, artificial intelligence, and collective intelligence.
Akin to Ratti’s mentor and philosophical influence, that of Umberto Eco, MacKeith’s thinking is equally impacted by the liberal arts. “Before I studied architecture, I was a student of history and literature,” MacKeith shared. “Look no further than the work of James Agee, Walker Evans, Zora Neale Hurston, or Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the porch has always had such an important role in American literature, music, and storytelling.”
“Porches for us are ways of connecting all these dots, in musical terms, photographic terms, artistic terms, craft traditions like quilts and basket-making, in cuisine, and more generally in architectural terms,” MacKeith elaborated. “I think the central ambition has ultimately been how to best represent not just American architecture, but this sense that American architecture is a social, environmental, and educational construct that incorporates people from many walks of life, and of course, from all over the world.”
Both the U.S. Pavilion curatorial team and Carlo Ratti share similar sustainability goals. Ratti has said his goal is to create an “exhibition that is 100 percent circular where everything we use is reused and recycled.” Thus, after the Venice Architecture Biennale ends, the U.S. Pavilion’s temporary porch will be dismantled and reassembled at school courtyards throughout Venice and Rome for children to interact with.
“My experience with the [Venice] Biennale over a number of years is that, while many adults visit in the first few days and weeks over the course of the summer and into the fall; many visitors are also school children, high school students, and young people in general,” MacKeith continued. “A question we all take seriously is: How do we make this work accessible and valuable to a young person, whether they’re in the 5th grade, or 10th grade?”
Further details about spatial interventions inside and outside the U.S Pavilion will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition will be held in Venice from May 24 to November 23, 2025.
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Amsterdam is a city where water and architecture intertwine. Renowned for its picturesque canals, Amsterdam has embraced its aquatic identity to inspire a new wave of modern architecture. These innovative structures, often perched along the city’s waterways, reflect a harmonious blend of historical reverence and futuristic design. The unique relationship between the built environment and water has not only preserved the city’s rich cultural heritage but also establish a range of contemporary and bold new buildings.
Often referred to as the “Venice of the North,” Amsterdam’s more recent architecture showcases a variety of projects that integrate water as a central element. From floating houses and sustainable waterfront developments to cutting-edge bridges and revitalized industrial docks, Amsterdam’s architects are pushing the boundaries of design. These new constructions are not just visually striking but also environmentally conscious, emphasizing the importance of water management and sustainability. By leveraging the city’s intricate canal network, designers are creating spaces that are redefining urban living in the process. This symbiotic relationship between architecture and water in Amsterdam exemplifies how modern design can pay homage to a city’s past while forging a new future.
Jonas, located at the harbor of Amsterdam IJburg, accommodates 190 medium-priced rental homes, 83 owner-occupied homes, and various supporting facilities. This innovative building aims to enhance social cohesion in the new district by creating a sustainable, inviting heart for the neighborhood. The design received the highest sustainability certificate, BREEAM Outstanding.
Named after the story of “Jonas and the Whale,” the building symbolizes adventure, intimacy, protection and comfort. Jonas stands out in IJburg with its special site on the headland and its unique program, which embraces the themes of water, quayside, and shipbuilding. The exterior features irregular, undulating windows and a façade of dark, pre-patinated zinc, lifted off the ground in a diamond-shaped volume. Inside, Jonas surprises with a warm, welcoming interior, reminiscent of traditional wooden ship construction, featuring large hollows within a series of trusses.
IJhal
By Wiel Arets Architects, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The IJhal is a pedestrian passageway in Amsterdam’s central train station, located on its northern waterside edge by the IJ River. OVer the past decade, the station has been undergoing extensive renovations — including a metro beneath the river — to accommodate the city’s growing population and tourism. As a major transportation hub, the central station connects taxis, metro lines, trams, trains, cyclists and ferry traffic, making it a critical point of pedestrian and public transportation movement.
The IJhal features large LED screens displaying scenes of the city and advertisements and a golden-yellow terrazzo floor designed for heavy foot traffic. Its ceiling is adorned with modular, mirrored elements that create dynamic reflections, echoing Amsterdam’s relationship with water.
Extension Metis Montessori Lyceum
By atelier PRO architekten, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Originally built in 1904 by architect Hendrik Leguyt, the original building served as a high school since its inception and became home to the Metis Montessori Lyceum in 2013. Atelier PRO’s renovation restored the historic building to its former glory, integrating it with the extensive park renovations under the Doubling Oosterpark project, which aimed to enhance the green space and public accessibility around the school and views to the nearby waterway.
The renovation reoriented the school’s layout to better connect with its park surroundings. Previously, the classrooms faced the city, but the expansion turned them towards the park, creating a more harmonious integration with the green space. The school’s façade now features striking black perforated panels, part of the artwork “Here Comes The Sun” by Chris Kabel, which incorporates 4,500 colored glass lenses. These panels not only provide sun protection but also create a playful light effect in the classrooms.
Harbor Building for a Sailing Club
By Margulis Moormann Architects, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Water Sport Club IJburg (WVIJ), a not-for-profit, community-based sailing club, engaged in extensive workshops with members to ensure the design for its new building maximized user participation and enthusiasm. A key insight from these workshops was the value members placed on social interactions while performing boat maintenance, leading to the design of a simple container-like shed with multi-purpose spaces.
The building connects the intimate harbor waters with the expansive Markermeer Lake, offering unique spatial experiences on each level. Constructed primarily from locally sourced larch wood, the structure’s columns echo the tall masts in the harbor. The design incorporates a “volume inside a volume” strategy to balance seasonal programmatic needs, with fully insulated spaces for winter and flexible, larger spaces for summer. The outer structure features seven laminated larch portal frames with large, single-glazed panels and full-height sliding doors, allowing boats to be brought in without lowering their masts.
Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam
By ZJA I Architects & Engineers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The glasshouse for Amsterdam’s botanical garden, dating from 1993, is one of the first significant projects designed by ZJA. Established in 1682, the renowned university botanical garden faced austerity measures that led to the demolition of many greenhouses. However, the Association of Friends of the Botanical Garden raised funds to save part of the collection, resulting in the construction of this new glasshouse. The glasshouse features three climate zones — tropical, subtropical and desert — supported by an exoskeleton of steel elements.
The tensegrity principle used in the design creates a light structure that allows maximum daylight and a variety of shapes, with glass walls separating the climate zones for an impressive, light-filled space. The design adapts to the location’s historical nature, with the glasshouse’s height and silhouette following the facades along the canal and shielding an interior garden. A glass-floored footbridge offers visitors a bird’s-eye view and emphasizing the design’s aim to create an engaging spatial experience.
WAVE
By Attika Architekten, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The new floating house ‘WoonArk VErtrouwen,’ also known as ‘WAVE,’ in Amsterdam Noord is characterized by its materials of metal and wood, crisp contours and refined simplicity. This design reflects its unique location, transitioning from a small-scale residential neighborhood on the east side to an industrial business park on the west side. The house features a varied program with high, low, large and small spaces at different floor heights, creating a loft-like environment full of spatial connections and views.
Under its roof, ‘WAVE’ offers a distinct aesthetic. The house is deeply connected to Amsterdam’s waterways, providing direct access to the city’s extensive canal network and enhancing the living experience with stunning waterfront views. The proximity to water not only defines its character but also integrates the home into the unique landscape of Amsterdam.
Sluishuis
By Barcode Architects and BIG, Amsterdam, Netherlands
This innovative adaptation of the traditional inner-city courtyard features a gateway to the IJ lake, created by lifting one corner of the building to allow water and small boats into the inner courtyard. The block steps down towards the neighborhood, creating terraces that bring in daylight and introduce a human scale. Residents and visitors can enjoy the lake from the inner courtyard, a pontoon jetty promenade, and a public climbing route to the top of Sluishuis.
Sluishuis includes 360 apartments catering to various demographics, all accessible through the central courtyard. The ground floor features a central lobby, sailing school, watersports center and a restaurant with a large terrace, along with special float-in and watersports apartments. Upper floors offer diverse housing types, including premium apartments with luxurious outdoor spaces and large duplex penthouses.
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Foreigners Everywhere 60th International Art Exhibition (Venice Biennale) April 20–November 24
As an architectural historian returned from a whirlwind week in Venice, my reaction to the current Art Biennale can be summarized as equal parts exhaustion and elation. The Biennale seems to get bigger and bigger each year, straining the capacity of obsessive completists such as myself to see everything. The experience is fundamentally mediatized: crowds rush from venue to venue, barely pausing but to take a few smartphone photographs. And yet for all the expense and annoyance, the perseverant visitor is rewarded.
Curated by São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) Artistic Director Adriano Pedrosa, this year’s central exhibition is titled Foreigners Everywhere. For Pedrosa, the title’s celebration of multiplicity is meant to reflect the extent to which we are all outsiders. Within the context of contemporary Euro-American politics, this statement (borrowed from a series of neon sculptures by the Palermo-based collective Claire Fontaine) reads as a rebuke to the right-wing populism of Giorgia Meloni, Jair Bolsonaro, and Donald Trump. Building upon the Italian word for foreigner’s etymological roots in strange (stranieri, strana), Pedrosa has chosen to celebrate a plethora of Indigenous, queer, and folk artists—many now deceased—whose works have not previously been shown at the Biennale.
Kith and Kin at the Australia pavilion (Matteo de Mayda)
For all its sincerity, Pedrosa’s curation is understandably overshadowed by twin crises of ecology and war. The hypocrisy of jet-setters snapshotting their way through exhausting quantities of art in a city acutely threatened by climate change is self-evident to the point of banality. I am, of course, myself guilty of this: A copy of Salvatore Settis’s If Venice Dies tagged along in my backpack. The ongoing war in Gaza provided a more potent flashpoint and led to the Israeli Pavilion remaining closed at its curators’ request. Many protestors focused their outrage on the German pavilion, reflecting not only the German government’s steadfast support for Israel but also specific requirements imposed on artists, such as the Berlin Senate’s now-dropped obligation for recipients of arts funding to accept the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
General themes of decolonization and the valorizing of Indigenous representation were predominant in the national pavilions in the Giardini. Kith and Kin, Archie Moore’s lovingly hand-drawn family tree tracing 65,000 years of his Kamilaroi, Bigambul, and European ancestry on the inner walls of the Australian Pavilion confronted a massive table bearing documentation of the deaths of hundreds of Aboriginal people in state custody. The work’s conceptual gravity was matched by the elegance of its execution as drawing and sculpture. Against the reams of paper recording bureaucratic indifference and outright violence, the delicate chalk marks making up the family tree, which Moore drew over two months in situ, reaffirmed the artist’s own humanity.
Research for Sleeping Positions in the Austria pavilion (Matteo de Mayda)
The power of art as a form of documentation (and documentation as a form of art) to proclaim the existence and dignity of previously marginalized communities was also affirmed by Rise of the Sunken Sun, Inuuteq Storch’s photographs of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) in the temporarily rededicated Danish Pavilion. Against modernist photography’s fetishization of technique and equipment, Storch mostly uses cameras gifted to him by family and close friends, thereby personalizing a medium often critiqued for its tendency towards objectification.
Inuuteq Storch’s series Soon Will Summer be Over (Matteo de Mayda)
Pedrosa’s chosen theme and current events poignantly overlapped in Anna Jermolaewa’s works in the Austrian Pavilion. These were drawn either from her own experiences as a refugee, or else queried the role of art in recent uprisings. Research for Sleeping Positions, a video documenting Jermolaewa’s return to the unwelcoming bench upon which she had slept during her first week in Vienna after leaving the Soviet Union in 1989, exemplified the former, while Rehearsal for Swan Lake (made in collaboration with Ukrainian choreographer Oksana Serheieva), a performance work featuring a live ballet dancer, referenced the latter. The work’s title is taken from Soviet television’s habit of showing Tchaikovsky’s ballet during times of political upheaval.
Ersan Mondtag’s Monument to an Unknown Person in the German pavilion (Andrea Rossetti)
The German Pavilion featured a more overtly architectural work in Ersan Mondtag’s Monument to an Unknown Person. Essentially a 3-story house built inside the pavilion, Mondtag’s installation functioned as a haunted, dust-covered memory palace tracing the life of the artist’s grandfather, a Turkish guest worker who died from working at a German asbestos factory. Outside, Mondtag blocked the pavilion’s main entrance with a mound of Turkish soil in an effective gesture questioning the Giardini pavilions’ simplistic national associations.
If Mondtag’s gestures are forceful and brutish, Kapwani Kiwanga’s nearby installation in the Canadian Pavilion is intricate and sophisticated. Trinket is made of millions of suspended beads, and comments upon the exploitative imbalances which fueled colonial commerce. The beads’ careful interaction with the pavilion’s architectural details offers a beautiful homage to the BBPR-designed pavilion, one which honors Venice’s painterly tradition of art completing architecture.
Trinket installed at the Canada pavilion (Marco Zorzanello)
While attention naturally focuses upon the Giardini and the massive Arsenale (whose best displays included the Argentina, Benin, and Italy pavilions), the Biennale’s greatest joy for the architectural tourist comes from visiting otherwise hard-to-see spaces around Venice. The Holy See’s pavilion took this to an extreme: its chosen artworks were installed within a women’s prison on Giudecca (advanced booking is required.) Shifting geographies within the art world and its architectural manifestations were also highly visible in Venice this year: the Nigerian Pavilion in the 16th-century Palazzo Canal began with the model for Sir David Adjaye’s proposed Museum of West African Art in Benin City. Inside, Yinka Shonibare’s Monument to the Restitution of the Mind and Soul features clay replicas of the Benin Bronzes reflect upon the colonial dispersal of Nigerian artworks.
A Journey to the Infinite by Yoo Youngkuk (Lorenzo Palmieri)
The architectural highlight of this year’s Biennale was offered by one of its concurrent events: Tadao Ando’s stunning installation of Zeng Fanzhi’s paintings in Jacopo Sansovino’s 16th-century Scuola Nuova della Misericordia. Organized by LACMA, Near and Far/Now and Then choreographed effects of light and dark together with framed vistas to produce a spiritual aura in the two large halls (one above the other) of this former charitable confraternity. Liminal, Pierre Huyghe’s exhibition at the Punta della Dogana (another Ando-designed space) deftly queried the boundaries of the human and the nonhuman. Sadly (for architects), the near total darkness needed for Huyghe’s works occluded Ando’s dexterous transformation of a 17th-century customs hall into a branch of the Fondation Pinault.
One final suggestion for readers of The Architect’s Newspaper visiting Venice this summer: the exhibition of Korean abstract modernist Yoo Youngkuk’s paintings at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia is delightful. Together with a wander around Carlo Scarpa’s ground-floor and garden, it offers a blissful moment of escape before heading back out into the crowds of tote-bag wielding art connoisseurs.
Peter Sealy is an architectural historian and assistant professor at the University of Toronto.
Mimi Shin left the glittering New York fashion world behind for Los Angeles some 20 years ago, and for a decade now the AD PRO Directory designer has resided in a modest Spanish Colonial–style abode in Venice with her husband Brad Hennegan, who makes sports documentaries, and their 13-year-old daughter, Marin. “It was the sweetest house we could afford,” Shin muses, but after leaving it untouched for 10 years, it begged for a significant upgrade, one that allowed Shin “to retain as much of its character as possible.”
So, she joined forces with Alisal Builders and ORCA Living landscape design to embark on a soulful revamp. The stucco exterior, terra-cotta tile roof, and window openings stayed intact; a second story was added to accommodate her office; and the front door now opens onto the dining room, the pool beckoning in the distance.
“Architecture is at the core for me. It’s so important to lay a space out correctly,” says Shin, who received her masters degree in architecture from UCLA. The residence was first imagined as a beach shack, so the living room footprint was small. By removing the entry from that zone, the area feels newly whole, no longer cut off by the constant flow of people moving in and out.
Designer Mimi Shin at home
The barrel-vaulted ceiling remains, as does the fireplace, which “had a quirky shape with big hips, but we simplified it and gave it a lime wash for more texture,” explains Shin. One highlight is the deep-seated, built-in sofa; another is Charlotte Perriand’s chaise lounge, a vintage piece that Shin breathed new life into by re-upholstering it in a lush Dedar fabric. “I love the idea of taking something iconic and playing around with it. The green just draws your eye right outside,” she adds. A striking mirror, Austrian glass candy jar, and vintage coffee table for family game nights all create vibrant layers.
Through a mirrored arched opening across from the living room is the old galley kitchen turned library, what Shin dubs a no- or low-tech refuge. Cooking, one of her biggest passions, now unfolds in a lived-in but luxe kitchen. A departure from the Formica and linoleum that defined her New York apartments, it flaunts veined quartzite counters, cabinets crafted from smoked sawn-cut oak, and a spun metal Lawson-Fenning lighting fixture hanging over the island.
“For the most part, everything in it will age to a more beautiful finish,” Shin points out. It’s an efficient kitchen too, equipped with panel-ready Fisher & Paykel appliances and an integrated sink featuring a dropped deck where the faucet sits, preventing water from pooling on the counter.
Outside the kitchen, Shin shrouded a vintage sideboard packed with extra tableware in automotive paint for a particularly glossy effect. “I was experimenting and went to an auto body shop and asked how to use it,” she recalls.
Those tucked-away platters often come out for dinner parties in the minimalist dining room, a space Shin modeled on the photograph of an Italian post office. From the get-go, she envisioned the custom table as the showstopper, pairing it with vintage Italian chairs—”I wanted Scarpa and didn’t have the budget, but these work beautifully”— and artworks, “because if you don’t have art on the walls, you don’t have a room.”
A new exhibition presenting the works of artist Zeng Fanzhi has opened in the historic Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice, Italy. Running from April 17 to September 30, 2024, concurrent with this year’s edition of the Venice Arts Biennale, the “Zeng Fanzhi: Near and Far/Now and Then” exhibition showcases the latest breakthroughs in the artist’s practice in a space adapted by architect Tadao Ando.
The exhibition is designed to introduce visitors to the classical proportions of the 16th-century building. On the ground floor of the Scuola Grande, the entrance is flanked by large multi-panel oil paintings, with artworks hinting at both Buddhist and Christian iconography, setting the tone for the cultural journey ahead.
Continuing to the upper levels, the space is divided into five thematic sections. Ando’s design creates a progression of walls with increasingly large apertures, each connected yet self-contained. Two larger paintings, abstracted depictions of light and water, anchor the space, surrounded by Zeng’s smaller format oil paintings and works on paper integrated into Ando’s temporary walls.
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In the historic grandeur of the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, the works of Zeng Fanzhi offer a direct encounter with art. Ando’s intervention creates the setting for this contrasting overlapping of styles and modes of expression, guiding visitors and encouraging them to experience the space and contemplate the artworks that defy characterization. The exhibition is organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), an institution that has developed a robust program of Chinese art through exhibitions, international partnerships, and key acquisitions.
Tadao Ando has also designed the MPavilion 10, the annual temporary pavilion in Melbourne, Australia, marking one of the most important architectural events happening annually in the city. The display, featuring the Pritzker Prize laureate’s signature geometric shapes and raw materials, will remain open to the public for an extended period, until March 2025, serving as a gathering space and an architecture destination throughout the year.
Carlo Ratti is chief curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. This week in Venice, Ratti gave a presentation in Ca’ Giustinian where he shared the title of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, Intelligens. The future show’s basic themes include Venice as living laboratory, natural intelligence, artificial intelligence, and collective intelligence.
AN interviewed Ratti shortly after the press conference to learn more about his vision.
AN: Umberto Eco is really important to you and the upcoming Biennale. Can you talk about how his concept of opera aperta influences your thinking?
CR: My relationship with Umberto goes back to my days as a student and, yes, he’s so important to me. We did a project together around 2000 called Progetto Collegium in Milan. There were four founders including myself, Umberto; the philosopher Marco Santambrogio; and Filippo de Vivo. The four of us founded Collegio di Milano.
Throughout this process I became very close intellectually with Umberto. His book, named after the concept opera aperta, became very important to me as well. Opera aperta translates to “open work” in English. It’s this idea that a piece of art can never be completed or done. But art can evolve into different forces.
This book by Umberto inspired my first book, Open Source Architecture. This concept helps me think about architecture as something that’s constantly in flow, and in sync with nature. Nature is never in a perfect state. It’s constantly evolving from one state to another, mutating.
AN: This exhibition will be different from others in that there will be a portal on the Biennale’s website where people can submit ideas for what they’d like to see in Venice, which clearly fits into your open source framework. Where did that idea come from and how will it work?
CR: These past few months, we’ve gotten almost 1,000 unsolicited submissions from people with different ideas about what they’d like to see. Our idea was simple: We chose to archive these ideas in a database and give people the chance to share their ideas with different types of media. Now people can submit videos, letters, and so on through a portal on the Biennale website.
Typically how these things work is a creative director simply decides who to invite. I wanted to hear a multiplicity of voices. We don’t know if we’ll get 1,000 or 50,000 or 100,000 submissions, but we will find out soon.
AN: What kinds of ideas have people submitted so far?
CR: The ideas so far have been a bit less-focused because people didn’t know what the theme was, until now. Hopefully after [this week’s] presentation the ideas will be a bit more focused. Now that the four themes are out there—Venice, natural intelligence, artificial intelligence, and collective intelligence—we hope we’ll get more submissions in those directions. Particularly the last one, in how it relates to what could happen outside of our planet.
AN: The Central Pavilion will be closed in 2025 for upgrades. Where will the programming that typically happens there take place?
CR: I can’t say much about individual projects. But I can say that there will be pavilions in the Arsenale, the Giardini, and outside the perimeter.
In my presentation I spoke about how, you know, people have been coming to Venice with new ideas, since Ruskin. But I’m interested in how Venice can become a living laboratory where design ideas can be tested for the rest of the world.
Biennales have changed a lot in the past decade. They used to be places where people brought together a collection of knowledge. But today it’s different. Today, I think Biennales can be catalysts for change. I hope that what happens in Venice in 2025 will reverberate out into the rest of the world when it’s over.
AN: Can you talk about the Venice Biennale’s inner mechanics? You’ve clearly been thinking about these ideas for a while now. Did you have to negotiate your concept with the Venice Biennale president? How does that work?
CR: I’ve been a part of multiple Venice Biennales now. I took part in the 2006 Biennale curated by Ricky Burdett which focused on the metacity, and Rem Koolhaas’s 2014 Biennale, Fundamentals. It was great to work with Rem on that, and people like Alejandro Zaera-Polo.
This upcoming Biennale is different for a few reasons. I was recommended by both the outgoing and incoming presidents for the curatorial role. In the past concepts usually got audited somehow, but I was given full freedom in every sense.
I’ve been getting feedback and had many meetings so far. There are people in charge of the technical side, and implementation, and the legal side, and production, and mediators between teams. So there are people who have been doing this for over ten years that are able to tell me what works and what doesn’t work. This feedback has been so enriching.
AN: What are you most excited about in 2025?
CR: People from the office, like Daniele Belleri, have been a key force in this collaboration. The publicity around Biennales typically focuses on the name of the director, but I want to stress how collaborative this curation is.
In terms of what I’m hopeful about, I think what motivates Daniele and I the most is spreading this message about architecture as a tool kit for our planet. We want to stress that architecture can change the status quo.
There’s a strange paradox today where, on the one hand, the public’s climate anxiety is at an all-time high. But at the same time, enrollment in architecture schools around the world is at an all-time low. Architecture since the beginning has been meant to help protect us from the harsh environment. How can architecture do the same in the future?
In Venice, Italy, Carlo Ratti announced today that Intelligens is the title of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition—the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. Intelligens refers to the word intelligence while its final syllable, according to a statement from the Biennale, recalls “gens,” or the Latin word for people. Without getting into specifics, Ratti said the exhibition will be organized around three central themes: natural intelligence, artificial intelligence, and collective intelligence.
“Since [John] Ruskin everyone has been coming to Venice, and asking how the world can save Venice. But today, maybe Venice can save the world,”Ratti said at an event announcing the theme and curatorial outlook.“Venice is a synthesis of different forms of intelligence—of natural, artificial, and collective intelligence. Can we use Venice as a lab for addressing climate crisis?”
Ratti continued that he wants to build an “exhibition that is 100 percent circular where everything we use is reused and recycled.” He said too that: “We want to bring architecture back into the center of the conversation.”
The chief curator further noted that, during the 2025 Biennale, the Central Pavilion will be closed for refurbishment. Rather than viewing this as an inconvenience, Ratti hopes to spill the Central Pavilion’s typical functions out into the city.
These plans were delivered after an introductory speech by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale for the four-year term between 2024 and 2027. Buttafuoco’s opening words discussed the idea of “Venice as hydropolis.” He alluded to Umberto Eco, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, and Pope Francis’s recent visit to Venice as driving forces behind the exhibition’s thinking.
Carlo Ratti was named chief curator of the Venice Architecture Biennale last December. His appointment follows that of Lesley Lokko, who led the curation for the 2023 iteration which explored how Africa can be a Laboratory of the Future.
In Venice today, Ratti told journalists that he is interested in creating an open source exhibition where everyone can share their ideas. “We will use all of your input as curators and take into account every voice,” Ratti continued. “It won’t be a top-down selection. It will also be bottom-up.”
Ratti said this open source framework takes inspiration from Umberto Eco, and his ruminations on the concept of opera aperta, Italian for “open work.” He also said this exhibition draws from Buckminster Fuller, as well as Nobel Prize winner Herbert Simon’s philosophy about artificial intelligence.
“Enrollment at architecture schools around the world is going down,” Ratti offered. “This means that maybe people don’t see architecture as a solution to the climate crisis. So maybe a big impact we can have in this Biennale is by telling the public that the best way to tackle the climate crisis and climate anxiety is by looking at architecture and design.”
Ratti said that he cannot at this time give details about individual exhibitions. But to date, France and the U.K. have announced their theme and title. The French Pavilion will be curated by Jakob + Macfarlane under the title Living with/ Vivre avec. The British Pavilion, curated by Nairobi office Cave Bureau alongside Kathryn Yusoff and Owen Hopkins, will explore the architectures of repair, restitution, and renewal.
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition will be held in Venice from May 24 to November 23, 2025.
Carlo Ratti, the curator of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia, along with Pietrangelo Buttafuocco, The President of La Biennale di Venezia, have revealed highly anticipated details for the upcoming edition. Titled “Intelligence. Natural. Artificial. Collective,” the exhibition will run from May 24th to November 23rd, 2025, in Giardini, the Arsenale, and various landmark locations throughout Venice.
Embracing a spectrum of meanings encapsulated within the word “Intelligens” or “Intelligence,” the theme of the Biennale Architecture 2025 explores many forms intelligence, from modern understandings to broader connotations, focusing on three typologies of it: natural, artificial, and collective.
In the announcement, Ratti emphasized the “interconnectedness” of architecture with diverse disciplines, such as art, engineering, biology, data science, and social sciences, all playing a role in shaping the built environment. With the looming climate crisis as well as architecture’s role in environmental degradation, the exhibition explores “intelligent solutions,” experimenting with adaptability and resourcefulness.
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The exhibition will search for a path forward, proposing that intelligent solutions to pressing problems can take many forms. It will present a collection of design proposals and many other experiments, exploring a definition of ‘intelligence’ as an ability to adapt to the environment with limited resources, knowledge, or power. Objects, buildings, and urban plans will be arranged along the axis of multiple and widespread intelligence – organized as natural, artificial, collective, and combinations of the three. While some ideas are destined to fail, others may point us toward redemption. –Carlo Ratti, Curator, 2025 Venice Biennale
Serving as a platform for diverse design proposals and experiments under three categories (natural, artificial, and collective intelligence), architects are invited to imagine catalysts for evolutionary processes. By drawing insights from various sciences, architects are also asked to envision a more sustainable future that stems from the different forms of intelligence.
The curator explained that the exhibition’s ethos is further emphasized by four methodology pillars: transdisciplinarity, living lab approach, space for ideas, and a circularity program. According to the live conference, Ratti asked, “Will we be able to reuse everything that is built in the upcoming Biennale?” Ultimately, the four pillars are aimed at fostering collaboration, experimentation, and sustainability.
Standing as one of the most highly anticipated architectural events worldwide, the Venice Biennale is a platform for architects and designers to venture into the unknown and experiment with new ideas, fostering global dialogue and creative exchange. In 2023, La Biennale di Venezia was curated by Lesley Lokko, and was considering “the African continent as the protagonist of the future.” Focused on Africa and its diaspora, the theme encouraged architects globally to understand and piece together the culture of people of African descent.
Carlo Ratti, an acclaimed Italian architect, engineer, and educator, is recognized for his work as the founder and director of the MIT Senseable City Lab. The project acts as an interdisciplinary research group exploring the intersection of urban design and digital technologies. In other similar news, he recently designed “Theatre of Nature,” the project selected as France’s national pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. Additionally, his studio, Carlo Ratti Associati, has just revealed its designs for a waterfront green energy park in Trieste, Italy.
Jonas, located at the harbor of Amsterdam IJburg, accommodates 190 medium-priced rental homes, 83 owner-occupied homes, and various supporting facilities. This innovative building aims to enhance social cohesion in the new district by creating a sustainable, inviting heart for the neighborhood. The design received the highest sustainability certificate, BREEAM Outstanding.
The IJhal is a pedestrian passageway in Amsterdam’s central train station, located on its northern waterside edge by the IJ River. OVer the past decade, the station has been undergoing extensive renovations — including a metro beneath the river — to accommodate the city’s growing population and tourism. As a major transportation hub, the central station connects taxis, metro lines, trams, trains, cyclists and ferry traffic, making it a critical point of pedestrian and public transportation movement.
Originally built in 1904 by architect Hendrik Leguyt, the original building served as a high school since its inception and became home to the Metis Montessori Lyceum in 2013. Atelier PRO’s renovation restored the historic building to its former glory, integrating it with the extensive park renovations under the Doubling Oosterpark project, which aimed to enhance the green space and public accessibility around the school and views to the nearby waterway.
The Water Sport Club IJburg (WVIJ), a not-for-profit, community-based sailing club, engaged in extensive workshops with members to ensure the design for its new building maximized user participation and enthusiasm. A key insight from these workshops was the value members placed on social interactions while performing boat maintenance, leading to the design of a simple container-like shed with multi-purpose spaces.
The glasshouse for Amsterdam’s botanical garden, dating from 1993, is one of the first significant projects designed by ZJA. Established in 1682, the renowned university botanical garden faced austerity measures that led to the demolition of many greenhouses. However, the Association of Friends of the Botanical Garden raised funds to save part of the collection, resulting in the construction of this new glasshouse. The glasshouse features three climate zones — tropical, subtropical and desert — supported by an exoskeleton of steel elements.
The new floating house ‘WoonArk VErtrouwen,’ also known as ‘WAVE,’ in Amsterdam Noord is characterized by its materials of metal and wood, crisp contours and refined simplicity. This design reflects its unique location, transitioning from a small-scale residential neighborhood on the east side to an industrial business park on the west side. The house features a varied program with high, low, large and small spaces at different floor heights, creating a loft-like environment full of spatial connections and views.
This innovative adaptation of the traditional inner-city courtyard features a gateway to the IJ lake, created by lifting one corner of the building to allow water and small boats into the inner courtyard. The block steps down towards the neighborhood, creating terraces that bring in daylight and introduce a human scale. Residents and visitors can enjoy the lake from the inner courtyard, a pontoon jetty promenade, and a public climbing route to the top of Sluishuis.
