"There Is Nothing to See Here" is the title of the exhibition hosted in the Hungarian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. Since 2015, the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art has managed and organized both the temporary exhibition and the building. This year, it presents an alternative vision for the future of the profession. Curated by Márton Pintér, Ingrid Manhertz, and András Graf in collaboration with Júlia Böröndy, founder of the platform Women in Architecture (WIA), the exhibition will showcase the work of 12 architecture professionals who apply their expertise in fields beyond the profession.
During a live presentation for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, curator Carlo Ratti offered a glimpse into the programming of this year's edition. The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale will include 66 National Pavilions, with 4 countries represented for the first time: the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, and Togo. The exhibition, divided between the Giardini (26), at the Arsenale (22) and in the city center of Venice (15), explores the theme of "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective", gathering over 750 participants, including individuals and organizations forming interdisciplinary and multigenerational teams. According to the numbers released, this year's edition is shaping up to become the largest Architecture Biennale held in Venice.
Cotter & Naessens Architects have been selected to represent Ireland at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia in 2025. Their project, Assembly, will explore architecture's role in shaping spaces for gathering, discussion, and democratic exchange. The selection was made through an open call by Culture Ireland, in partnership with the Arts Council, and was announced in April by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media, Catherine Martin T.D.
Saudi Arabia has just announced its participation in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition-La Biennale di Venezia with the National Pavilion presenting The Um Slaim School: An Architecture of Connection. Designed by Syn Architects, the Riyadh-based practice, and curated by Beatrice Leanza, the pavilion offers an exploration of contemporary urban conditions in Saudi Arabia through spatial practice and alternative architectural pedagogy. Syn Architects was selected as one of ArchDaily's Best New Practices of 2024, recognized for its engagement with local architectural heritage and contemporary spatial practices.
The design incorporates a specific type of low-carbon concrete, which aims to emit 30% less CO₂ than standard concrete. The prototype will be featured in the Time Space Existence exhibition, organized by the European Cultural Centre.The goal of the project is to test the sustainability of a housing prototype in response to the ongoing climate and humanitarian crises.
What defines good housing and a good living environment? What political framework is needed to create them? How can we design socially equitable, affordable housing? And what strategies lead to the best results? These are the questions guiding Lorenzo Romito, Sabine Pollak, and Michael Obrist's proposal for the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. The building, designed by Josef Hoffmann and inaugurated in 1934, will become an interactive space with the opening of the "Agency for Better Living", an exhibition dedicated to exploring the new political dimension of the fundamental right to housing. The proposal takes as its starting point a comparison of social housing models in Vienna and Rome, creating a space for sharing ideas on better living for all.
The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, represented by Sandi Paucic and Rachele Giudici Legittimo, has announced that the Swiss Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 will host the exhibition "The final form is determined by the architect on site," curated by Elena Chiavi, Kathrin Füglister, Amy Perkins, Axelle Stiefel, and Myriam Uzor. This all-female team poses the question: What if Lisbeth Sachs, rather than Bruno Giacometti, had designed the Swiss Pavilion? The exhibition will explore this question by reviving one of the iconic works of Lisbeth Sachs, one of the first registered female architects in Switzerland and a contemporary of Giacometti.
2025 promises to be a landmark in architecture, heralding a vibrant renaissance of creativity and exploration. As societies confront challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and technological evolution, architecture is both a mirror to these dynamics and a compass pointing toward a sustainable and inclusive future. This year's architectural calendar offers abundant opportunities to celebrate the discipline's transformative power — from boundary-pushing festivals to thought-provoking exhibitions that explore pressing cultural and environmental narratives.
From well-established biennials to inaugural gatherings, including the World Architecture Festival 2025, Desert X Al Ula, and the COP Climate Conference, the 2025 calendar highlights themes such as sustainability, heritage, and community. These events underscore architecture's unique ability to shape a better future, addressing global challenges while honoring cultural diversity and design ingenuity.
The French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs have announced that the project, "Vivre avec / Living with," developed by the agency Jakob+Macfarlane, formed by architects Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, in collaboration with Martin Duplantier Architects and Eric Daniel Lacombe EDL, will represent France at the 2025 Venice Biennale. The project was selected through a two-phase competition, involving an initial pre-selection of five teams from forty-five applicants, followed by a detailed project presentation. The winning proposal focuses on architecture's capacity to address global challenges such as climate change, conflict, and instability, utilizing a combination of natural, human, and artificial intelligence.
The 19th Biennale Architettura, set to open in Venice in May 2025, will see the Belgian pavilion transformed by an exhibition titled "Building Biospheres," curated by a team comprising landscape architect Bas Smets, climate scientist Valerie Trouet, and biologist Stefano Mancuso. Initiated by the Flemish government and the Flanders Architecture Institute, this thought-provoking exhibit will explore a transformative approach to architecture through the lens of plant intelligence.
The Türkiye Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale: Ghost Stories: The Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture. Image Courtesy of Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts
The Australian Institute of Architects has announced the Creative Directors for the Australia Pavilion at the upcoming 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia in 2025. Selected to lead this project, Dr. Michael Mossman, Emily McDaniel, and Jack Gillmer will present "HOME", a pavilion dedicated to Australia's natural environment and Indigenous knowledge systems.
