Venice Architecture Biennale 2025: a glimpse of what’s to come and Carlo Ratti's circular economy manifesto

In preparation for the launch of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 in spring next year, curator Carlo Ratti and the team behind the world's largest architecture festival recently revealed the theme to set the pace in the coming shows. With preparations already underway – but their specifics currently under embargo and always a hot topic of speculation in the architecture world – La Biennale di Venezia 2025 will focus on the topic of 'Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective.' At the start of the summer, the organisers also announced that for the first time ever in the International Architecture Exhibition's long history, Ratti has opened a public call for the submission of ideas.

Now, Ratti also launched his circular economy manifesto - inviting the participants to tackle core challenges in exhibition design, in order to produce a truly circular festival. This goal is outlined in the manifesto, which was developed with guidance from Arup and input from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The team writes: 'Our goal is to demonstrate that architecture and the built environment can coexist harmoniously with our planet, by eliminating waste, circulating materials and regenerating natural systems. We commit to creating pavilions and spaces that are not just temporary showcases but offer examples of bold circular thinking and create lasting legacies.'

'The role of the biennale is to look at different challenges. Lesley's was a very important one,' said Ratti at the recent press conference around the event, acknowledging the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale's influential theme by 2024 RIBA Gold Medal winner Lesley Lokko – and hinting at the future and the next steps in the grand exhibition's global explorations.

With all this in mind, the curator calls for proposals, 'no matter how audacious,' from both architects and non-architects. In fact, trans-disciplinarity seems to be the name of the game, with Ratti inviting the global community of practitioners, scientists, scholars, activists, and others to help him create a diverse, creative biennale. 

Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 reveals theme of ‘Intelligence’

Ratti said of his theme: 'The title of the International Architecture Exhibition is usually announced both in English and in Italian. In 2025 it will be condensed into a single word for both languages via the common Latin precedent: intelligens. The title “Intelligens” is linked to the modern term “intelligence”, but it also evokes a wider set of associated meanings. In fact, the final syllable “gens” is Latin for “people”. A new, fictional root emerges, suggesting a future of intelligence that is inclusive, multiple, and imaginative beyond today’s limiting focus on AI.'

Exploring his topic through four sections, Ratti announced the sub-themes of Transdisciplinarity, Living Lab, Space For Ideas, and Circularity Protocol as key pillars in the way he's conceived the main show. 

The Biennale College Architettura, which launched in 2023, is also returning in 2025 for its second iteration. Ratti invites students, graduate students and emerging practitioners under the age of 30 to take part and 'submit projects that employ natural, artificial, and collective intelligence to combat the climate crisis'.

The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale will run 10 May till 23 November 2025 

All submission proposals must follow the guidelines specified on the submission interface and must be uploaded on the dedicated space on the website of La Biennale di Venezia by 11:59 pm (CEST), June 21, 2024.

labiennale.org