Intelligences' at the heart of the Architecture Biennale 2025

The Biennale 2025 will see Venice as the protagonist, both because the Italian Pavilion at the Giardini will be restored and Ratti has proposed to make Venice a living "laboratory" of experiences, in addition to the exhibition that will be set up at the Arsenale, and because "Venice is the natural intelligence of the lagoon that remains within its limits, of those works such as the Mose that keep it dry, it is synonymous with the collective intelligence of the peoples who have inhabited it". We start from Venice to enter into the broader exploration of the rest of the planet.

The second chapter will be dedicated to natural intelligence, to how our environment has been shaped over millions of years.
The third will focus on artificial intelligence 'which is bringing something new,' says the editor, 'but its evolution must be considered in harmony with natural intelligence. No less important will be the focus on what would happen if things got out of our control. On the basis of the data collected, we will study the different options, also looking from outside our Planet, to find solutions for the most urgent challenges'.

Ratti's focus on sustainability is reflected in his commitment to "making a 100% circular Biennial: everything that will be used will be recycled. We will really do a project where content and container are the same thing'. And Ratti from Venice announces an alliance with the Triennale in 2025, "both will be in the same year, there will be a synchrony, a dialogue".

In his account, Ratti mentioned two Biennales that were significant for him, the one led by Rem Koolhaas ten years ago, and the one by Alejandro Aravena in the following two years, which was particularly focused on the theme of the 'collective'. "The one on Fundamentals in 2014 was an important test with a strong synergy with national participations, free to express themselves, but in coordination with the theme of international curatorship. I hope that in 2025 too," says Ratti, "we can count on a thousand synchronised voices, to tackle the same issues together. The Biennale as a place for sharing ideas and solutions proposed by different countries'. The imagery is that of a sort of 'global tool box' with specific answers for the different cities, particularly in relation to the climate emergency and beyond.

Ratti promises a Biennale "open to everyone's ideas", a place where bottom up suggestions, proposals, spaces can come together. A Biennale that knows how to make the new generations fall in love with architecture: "many young people in Europe and America are pessimistic about the future, but enrolments in architecture faculties are decreasing. Architecture is part of the problem but it is also a solution, and the best way to deal with anxiety about the future is also to think about the design of architecture". An invitation from the Biennale to look at the project as an opportunity to transform the present, to make a contribution that can have "important impacts, beyond the event, a lasting legacy in cities, in universities and for the entire discipline".

Four methodological pillars: 'Transdisciplinarity', where architectural projects will promote collaborations between different professionals, with the aim, wherever possible, of advancing scientific knowledge. "Living Laboratory": as anticipated in 2025, the Central Pavilion at the Giardini will be undergoing renovation. It will therefore be replaced by a series of special projects capable of transforming portions of Venice and the external areas of the Biennale venues into Living Labs - living laboratories, where multiple forms of intelligence converge. "Gathering Ideas": adopting a collaborative approach to design is fundamental, all the more so in a time of crisis. On 7 May 2024, the Biennale's website opens a space for the collection of ideas to broaden the heterogeneity of voices, visions and suggestions. Finally, the 'Circularity Protocol': as anticipated, the Exhibition aims to achieve particularly ambitious circularity goals. Through the elaboration of a Circularity Manifesto, precise guidelines will be defined, outlining a new standard for future cultural events.